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Family released after detention
A federal judge ordered the release of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, after they had been held at the Dilley family detention center in Texas.
“A federal judge ordered the release of Adrian Conejo Arias and his five-year-old son, Liam Conejo Ramos, who were detained during a recent immigration raid in a Minneapolis suburb.”
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery criticized the detention as tied to the government's aggressive deportation efforts, calling enforcement practices 'ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented' and finding insufficient probable cause for their detention.
The pair were freed and returned to Minnesota, where Rep. Joaquin Castro and other officials helped escort them home.
Images of the child in a blue bunny hat and a Spider-Man backpack drew wide public attention and sparked outrage.
Child removed during ICE operation
Family attorneys and local officials say agents removed Liam from a running car during a Jan. 20 operation in Columbia Heights, Minn., and that images of the child, wearing a blue bunny hat as an agent held his Spider-Man backpack, circulated widely and intensified scrutiny of ICE tactics.
Jurist and NBC report that local officials described the child as effectively used as 'bait' to get parents to the door, while DHS officials disputed that account, with assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin saying on X that the child had been abandoned and that officers followed longstanding guidelines.
The family was then flown to Texas and held at Dilley, where advocates and school officials said the detentions have traumatized students.
Court order and ICE tactics
Judge Biery’s order granted habeas relief and judicial review, and his written ruling criticized using administrative warrants instead of judicial probable-cause warrants.
“U.S. District Judge Fred Biery ordered the release of five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father from ICE custody, granting their habeas petition and judicial review and criticizing what he described as an ill‑conceived, incompetently implemented push for daily deportation quotas that traumatizes children.”
Several outlets noted the ruling addressed the legality of the detention rather than the family's long-term immigration status, leaving the asylum claim and future court dates unresolved.
Legal observers and local attorneys raised broader concerns about ICE strategies in Minnesota, including allegations that ICE moved families quickly to Texas to evade certain court jurisdictions.
Responses to Liam's release
The release prompted an array of political and community responses.
Elected officials and local leaders welcomed Liam home.
Rep. Joaquin Castro helped escort the family back to Minnesota.
Rep. Ilhan Omar publicly celebrated their release.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar said the boy should be in school and with family — not in detention.
Columbia Heights Public Schools called the release an important development.
The district briefly closed after emailed bomb threats.
School leaders and the superintendent said they will provide a support plan as Liam recovers.
They also noted that other students remain detained.
Disputed asylum and health risks
Key questions remain unresolved as outlets report conflicting accounts about whether the family properly sought asylum and about possible government appeals.
“their lawyers say an active asylum claim is pending and allows them to remain in the U.S. during processing, while Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and DHS say they did not properly apply for asylum and characterize their presence as unlawful.”
Family attorneys and some news organizations say the father has a pending asylum claim or applied in 2024.
DHS and Justice Department officials have disputed that and at times described the father as an unauthorized entrant or said he didn’t properly apply for asylum.
Reports also raised health concerns linked to the Dilley facility, with Texas officials confirming measles cases at the center.
Public-health coverage underscored risks for detainees amid a broader U.S. measles surge.
Legal observers say the government could appeal Biery’s order while the family’s long-term immigration status remains unresolved.