MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A 5-year-old boy named Liam Conejo Ramos was taken by federal agents along with his father to a detention facility in Texas after arriving home from preschool in Columbia Heights, Minnesota. This incident marks him as the fourth student from the suburb to be detained by immigration officers in recent weeks. Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenvik reported that federal agents apprehended Liam from a running car in the family's driveway on Tuesday afternoon.
The situation escalated when the agents, who reportedly told Liam to knock on the door to check if others were inside, were accused by Stenvik of using a “5-year-old as bait.” At the time of the incident, Liam's mother, whose name has not been disclosed, was inside the home. The father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, told the mother not to open the door. Despite offers from school officials and another adult who lives at the home to care for Liam, the agents insisted on taking him with his father to an immigration facility in Dilley, Texas.
The family, who entered the United States in 2024, currently has an active asylum case and had not received an order to leave the country. Stenvik questioned the rationale behind detaining a young child, emphasizing that it is unreasonable to classify him as a violent criminal. In response, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin clarified that immigration officers did not target the child, asserting that their focus was on apprehending the father, who is from Ecuador and is in the U.S. illegally. McLaughlin stated that Conejo Arias fled on foot, allegedly abandoning his son.
To ensure the child's safety during the apprehension, McLaughlin mentioned that one ICE officer stayed with Liam while others captured his father. She added that parents can choose to be removed with their children or have them placed with a trusted adult. However, critics questioned why the agents refused to allow other responsible adults to care for Liam when they were available.
The state of Minnesota has become a significant target for federal immigration enforcement, with Custom and Border Protection officials reporting around 3,000 arrests in the region in the last six weeks. There is ongoing concern among community leaders and school officials about the impact of these actions on local families. Stenvik revealed that since the commencement of these immigration sweeps, school attendance has drastically declined, with numerous students fearing for their safety.
Liam’s teacher, Ella Sullivan, described him as a kind and loving child, expressing distress over his absence and the situation that led to it. School officials noted that several other local children had also been detained, prompting a reported drop in school attendance, with one day witnessing a one-third absence rate. This trend indicates fear and trauma within the community surrounding these immigration enforcement actions.
Leecia Welch, the chief legal counselor at Children’s Rights, highlighted alarming conditions at the Dilley detention facility, where families have reported children suffering from malnutrition and prolonged illnesses. Reports indicate that a significant number of children there have been detained for over 100 days, raising further concerns about their welfare. Welch’s observations were corroborated by numerous families who described dire conditions within the facility.
Vice President JD Vance met with Minneapolis leaders to discuss the troubling incident, acknowledging the pain of the family involved. Despite his emotional reaction as a parent, he emphasized the necessity of enforcing immigration laws. Vance's comments did not address the refusal of ICE agents to leave Liam in the care of another responsible adult in the home, a point that has raised questions among local leaders.
Overall, the detainment of Liam Conejo Ramos and the increasing number of student detentions reflect a broader climate of anxiety and uncertainty for immigrant families in Minnesota, compounded by ongoing federal immigration enforcement actions.
