Controversial ICE Detention of Five-Year-Old Sparks Outrage in Minnesota

Mon Feb 02 2026 23:57:30 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A five-year-old boy, Liam Ramos, was detained alongside his father during an ICE operation, prompting questions about the agency's actions and the impact on vulnerable families.

The recent detention of five-year-old Liam Ramos and his father by ICE agents in Minnesota has sparked significant public outcry. School officials and the family's attorney question the necessity of detaining a child and the emotional trauma it causes within the community. With documentation indicating their pursuit of legal asylum in the U.S., many advocate for a more compassionate approach from immigration enforcement.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers detained a five-year-old boy on Tuesday during an immigration enforcement operation, Minnesota school officials and the family's lawyer have said.

Pre-schooler Liam Ramos was with his father - named by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias - when Conejo Arias was approached by agents on his driveway.

In a statement posted on X, the DHS said ICE did NOT target a child, but was conducting an operation against his father, an illegal alien who abandoned his son when approached.

Zena Stenvik, the Columbia Heights Public Schools superintendent, asked: Why detain a five-year-old? You can't tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal.

In a post on X, ICE denied the child had been detained, stating, A criminal illegal alien ABANDONED his child as he fled from ICE officers, and our officers ensured the child was kept SAFE in the bitter cold.

Photos provided to the BBC by the school district show Liam wearing a bunny-shaped winter hat, standing outside as an officer holds onto his backpack.

Marc Prokosch, the family's lawyer, stated that Liam and his father were being held at a detention center in San Antonio, Texas, and that they seek asylum after arriving from Ecuador in 2024. Prokosch argued, This family was not eluding ICE in any way; they were following all the established protocols.

School officials reported that ICE had detained several children in the district recently, causing increased concern over the emotional impacts on families and local communities.

The ongoing ICE operations, particularly under the initiative named Operation Metro Surge, have faced backlash as many residents voice their discontent regarding the aggression displayed towards families seeking refuge.