Minnesota officials and the Trump administration are at odds over the detention of a five-year-old boy by immigration authorities in a Minneapolis suburb, similar to what happened following the death of Renee Good.
School district officials, the family’s attorney, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey criticized U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for detaining Liam Conejo Ramos in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, as he returned from preschool.
Contrary to the federal officials’ stance, which includes U.S. Vice-President JD Vance, they asserted that the child was not a target but was caught up in the arrest of his father, labeled as an “illegal alien.”
The superintendent of Columbia Heights Public Schools revealed in a statement that ICE agents used Liam as “bait” during the arrest, refusing offers from another adult to care for the child before leading him to the door to check if anyone else was at home.
At a press conference, school officials provided more insights into the chaotic situation during the arrest at the Columbia Heights residence, with witnesses describing a tense atmosphere with people talking over each other.
According to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin, ICE’s focus was on apprehending Liam’s father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, referred to as an “illegal alien,” while ensuring the child’s safety as the father fled and left him behind.
Although the fate of Liam post-arrest was not specified, the family’s lawyer, Marc Prokosch, mentioned that both the boy and his father were being held at an immigration processing center in Dilley, Texas.
During a visit to Minneapolis, Vance supported the DHS’s version of events, emphasizing that ICE agents had no alternative but to ensure the child’s safety given the circumstances.
Contradicting the “illegal alien” label attributed to Liam’s father, the family’s lawyer clarified that both father and son entered the U.S. legally in 2024 and sought asylum, not fitting the portrayal of illegal immigrants. The lawyer refrained from disclosing more details on their asylum application or the mother’s citizenship status, highlighting that no criminal records were found for the father in Minnesota’s database.