Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, who was detained by ICE with his father, has returned to Minnesota after a federal judge ordered their release.
Child’s detention sparked controversy
The case of five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father Adrian Conejo Arias has stirred public opinion across the United States. The father and son were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minnesota and then transferred to a detention center in Dilley, Texas. According to the school’s account, the detention occurred shortly after the boy returned from preschool. Agents had reportedly instructed the child to knock on the house door.
According to CNN reports, they were attempting to lure the pregnant mother of Liam out of the house. Attempts by other adults present to take custody of the boy were reportedly rejected, and the mother, who had been advised not to leave the house for fear of the agents, was unable to retrieve the child.
Court: Government actions were inhumane
On Saturday, January 31, federal judge Fred Biery ordered the immediate release of the father and son, granting an emergency motion from the family’s lawyer. In his reasoning, he did not hide his sharp criticism of immigration authorities. “The case originates from a poorly conceived and incompetently implemented policy of daily deportation limits, even if it requires traumatizing children,” the judge wrote.
Biery also emphasized that deportations should occur in an orderly and humanitarian manner, not administratively, which – as he stressed – violates constitutional standards for protecting civil rights.
Liam is now home
The return of the family to Minnesota was announced by Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro, who personally picked up the father and son from the Dilley center and accompanied them on their way back. “Liam is already home. With a cap and a backpack,” the politician wrote on social media. “They should never have been there,” he added.
A photo of the boy in a blue rabbit-eared cap standing next to federal agents earlier circulated in American media and became a symbol of the entire case.
Dispute over legality and ICE operation
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) maintains that ICE did not detain a child, and that the boy had been “abandoned” by his father, who allegedly tried to flee. Vice President JD Vance repeated this version, claiming that agents had no other option.
The family’s lawyer strongly refutes this. As he emphasizes, the father and son arrived in the USA from Ecuador in 2024 in accordance with applicable asylum procedures, using the CBP One app. They appeared for court summons and did not try to avoid contact with authorities. “This family did everything legally and should never have been detained,” the representative noted.
Controversies surrounding ICE actions
The case of Liam Conejo Ramos has become another focal point in the debate over the migration policy of Donald Trump’s administration. Democrats are calling for ICE reform, including mandatory body cameras for agents, limiting patrols, and prohibiting face covering during operations.
A critical voice has also emerged among some Republican local officials, who warn that such actions could permanently undermine residents’ trust in federal authorities. Americans are protesting against the presence of federal agents on the streets of their cities. Flashpoints that triggered the largest protests were the shootings of two people by federal services in January.