Minnesota Immigration Raid Sees Federal Agents Detain 5-Year-Old Boy
Federal immigration agents in Minnesota have sparked widespread condemnation after detaining a 5-year-old boy as he returned home from school, transporting him to a Texas facility in what local officials describe as a deeply troubling operation. Liam Conejo Ramos became the fourth student from the Columbia Heights School District, located just north of Minneapolis, to be swept up by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the Trump administration's intensified crackdown on immigrants.
Operation Details and Family Impact
According to District Superintendent Zena Stenvik, who addressed the media at a press conference, Liam was detained in his family's driveway after being driven home by his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias. The Department of Homeland Security identified the father as the subject of a targeted ICE operation conducted on Tuesday, resulting in his simultaneous detention. Stenvik made the explosive accusation that ICE officers deliberately used the preschooler as bait to draw other family members out of their home.
Reports indicate that Liam was instructed to knock on the door and request entry so immigration officials could determine whether additional individuals were inside the residence. An adult present at the home, recognizing that Liam had been detained, pleaded with agents to allow them to care for the young child but was refused permission.
Visual Evidence and Official Response
Photographs released by the school district show agents leading the child, who was wearing a blue hat with bunny ears and carrying a Spider-Man backpack, through snowy conditions to a waiting vehicle. Stenvik expressed outrage at the situation, questioning why authorities would detain a five-year-old who could not possibly be classified as a violent criminal.
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin issued a statement denying that ICE had targeted a small child. DHS further claimed on social media platform X that ICE conducted a targeted operation on January 20 to arrest Liam's father, whom they identified as an illegal alien from Ecuador. According to their account, the father attempted to flee when officers approached but was successfully apprehended.
Legal Status and Family Situation
Marc Prokosch, the lawyer representing the Ramos family, expressed uncertainty about the current whereabouts of Liam and his father, though his experience with immigration cases suggests they are likely being held in a family detention facility in Texas. The school district confirmed that Liam's family has an active asylum case and had not received any deportation order prior to the detention.
Prokosch emphasized that the family has complied with every requirement throughout the immigration process, characterizing the detention as an act of unnecessary cruelty. He noted that in similar cases, clients are often transported to airports within hours of being picked up, creating traumatic separations and disruptions.
Broader Context and Community Reaction
This incident represents part of a larger pattern affecting the Minnesota school district, where previous detentions have included a 10-year-old and two 17-year-olds, some taken alongside parents and others while traveling to school independently. President Donald Trump has deployed thousands of Homeland Security officers to Minnesota in recent weeks, resulting in ICE raids that have affected both noncitizens and citizens alike.
In response to these aggressive enforcement tactics, demonstrators have taken to the streets to protest what they view as excessively harsh immigration policies. The controversy has been further highlighted by the recent killing of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, by an ICE officer earlier this month, adding to community tensions and concerns about enforcement methods.
