Border Patrol Commander Defends Detention of 5-Year-Old Minnesota Boy
Greg Bovino, commander-at-large for the U.S. Border Patrol, has publicly defended the agency's decision to detain a five-year-old Minnesota preschooler and transport him to a Texas detention center alongside his father. During a press conference held on Friday, Bovino asserted that federal agents possess specialized expertise in handling children within immigration enforcement contexts.
"Experts in Dealing with Children"
"I will say unequivocally that we are experts in dealing with children," Bovino stated emphatically. "Let me say that again, experts in dealing with children, not because we want to be, but because we have to be." His comments were a direct response to mounting criticism over the detention of Liam Conejo Ramos, a young boy wearing a distinctive blue floppy-eared hat, who was apprehended with his father in the Minneapolis area earlier this week.
The child and his father were subsequently transferred to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility located in Texas. Bovino addressed concerns about the boy's welfare by noting, "That child is in the least restrictive setting possible." He further emphasized that the agency had made efforts to keep the family unit intact, adding, "I don't think it gets any better than that."
School District Alleges Use of Child as "Bait"
Contrasting sharply with the federal perspective, Zena Stenvik, the superintendent of Columbia Heights Public Schools where Liam attended, held a separate press conference on Wednesday. She alleged that ICE agents intercepted the five-year-old in his own driveway and attempted to use his presence to lure other family members out of their home.
"Agents were essentially using a 5-year-old as bait," Stenvik claimed. She also reported that an adult present during the incident pleaded with officers to allow them to care for the young child, but these requests were reportedly refused by the agents.
Political Figures Weigh In on the Controversy
The case has drawn commentary from political figures, including Vice President JD Vance. During a Thursday press conference in Minnesota, Vance offered a defense of ICE's actions. "So the story is that 'ICE detained a 5-year-old.' Well, what are they supposed to do? Are they supposed to let a 5-year-old child freeze to death?" he questioned, framing the detention within the context of child welfare and safety.
A Pattern of Family Detentions
This incident is not isolated within the school district. Reports indicate that other children, including a ten-year-old and a seventeen-year-old from the same district, have also been taken into custody alongside their parents in recent enforcement actions. This pattern raises broader questions about the treatment of minors within the immigration system.
Concluding his remarks, Commander Bovino issued a challenge to other law enforcement bodies: "I challenge any other law enforcement agency to show me the fantastic care that ICE and U.S. Border Patrol provide children." This statement underscores the ongoing debate between federal authorities defending their protocols and community leaders alleging traumatic and inappropriate tactics used against very young children.
