Executive summary: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers detained a five-year-old boy and his father in Minnesota this week, an incident that has ignited debate over the tactics used in immigration enforcement operations. School officials and the family’s lawyer allege that the child was used as “bait” during the arrest, while federal authorities maintain that the father was the target and that the child’s safety was prioritized.
On Tuesday afternoon, five-year-old Liam Ramos was arriving home from preschool in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, when ICE agents approached his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, in their driveway. According to Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenvik, the officers took Liam from a running car and instructed him to knock on the door of their home to see if other people were inside, a move she described as “essentially using a 5-year-old as bait.” The family, who came to the United States from Ecuador in 2024 to seek asylum, has an active asylum case and had not been ordered to leave the country.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE have disputed aspects of the account. In a statement, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said, “ICE did NOT target a child,” and explained that the operation was aimed at arresting Conejo Arias, whom she identified as an illegal alien from Ecuador. McLaughlin claimed that the father fled on foot, “abandoning his child,” and that ICE officers remained with the boy for his safety. She added that parents are given the choice to be removed with their children or have them placed with a designated person.
However, school officials and the family’s lawyer, Marc Prokosch, contest this narrative. Prokosch said that another adult who lives at the home was present and offered to take Liam, but agents refused. He stated that both Liam and his father were taken to an immigration lockup in Dilley, Texas, and are likely being held in a family detention cell. Prokosch emphasized that the family was following all established protocols for asylum seekers and was not attempting to evade authorities.
The incident has drawn political attention, with Vice President JD Vance commenting during a visit to Minneapolis. Vance, who has a child of the same age, defended ICE’s actions, saying, “What are they supposed to do? Are they supposed to let a 5-year-old child freeze to death? Are they not supposed to arrest an illegal alien in the United States of America?” He acknowledged hearing the “terrible story” but later clarified that the boy was detained, not arrested, as part of the operation.
This case is part of a broader increase in immigration enforcement in Minnesota. Greg Bovino, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection official, reported that about 3,000 arrests have been made in the state over the past six weeks. Liam is the fourth student from Columbia Heights Public Schools to be detained by ICE in recent weeks, including a 10-year-old and two 17-year-olds. Superintendent Stenvik noted that the crackdown has caused trauma in the community, with school attendance dropping significantly as families fear further raids.
Concerns about detention conditions have also been raised. Leecia Welch of Children’s Rights, who visited the Dilley facility last week, described deteriorating conditions, with many children sick and malnourished due to prolonged detention. The administration acknowledged in December that around 400 children had faced extended stays. Advocates like Julia Decker of the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota question the accuracy of government reports on those detained.
The detention of a young child has sparked outcry from local officials and immigrant rights groups, highlighting the human cost of aggressive immigration policies. As legal efforts continue to secure the release of Liam and his father, the incident underscores ongoing tensions between federal enforcement actions and community welfare, with implications for the national debate on immigration reform and the treatment of asylum-seeking families.
