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ICE detention in Minnesota
On Jan. 20 in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained five‑year‑old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, during a large enforcement sweep aimed at the father.
“A five-year-old Minnesota boy, Liam Conejo Ramos, was taken by ICE agents in January after arriving home from preschool in Columbia Heights; witnesses and school officials say agents refused offers to leave him with another adult.”
Multiple local officials, school representatives and witnesses say the child was taken as he returned from preschool and that offers from school staff and neighbors to care for him were refused.
The family’s lawyer and district officials say the pair are asylum seekers with no removal order.
Federal authorities say the operation targeted the father and that an officer remained with the child for safety, and ICE and the Department of Homeland Security say both are now in custody at a family detention facility in Dilley, Texas.
This summarizes reported facts and the immediate dispute about custody and location.
School community reaction
Columbia Heights Public Schools officials and community leaders described deep distress.
They said the episode added to a pattern of aggressive ICE activity that has traumatized students and driven down attendance.
Superintendent Zena Stenvik and other district representatives said at least four students from the district — including a five-year-old, a 10-year-old and two 17-year-olds — were detained in recent ICE actions.
Bystander photos circulated widely and teachers described the boy as missed by classmates.
Community leaders and elected officials called for investigations and protests.
Some described the sweep as an intimidation tactic that disrupted school routines.
Disputed immigration status
The family's attorney, Marc Prokosch, and district officials say the Ramos family entered the U.S. in 2024, have an active asylum claim, and had no deportation order.
“Liam and his father, an Ecuadorian national who entered legally and has no criminal record, reportedly have active asylum claims and had not received a removal order when detained, the family’s lawyer Marc Prokosch said.”
Several outlets reported he has no Minnesota criminal record.
DHS and some federal statements described the father as removable or an 'illegal alien' on social posts, creating a sharp factual dispute that advocates and local officials say requires documentary evidence such as court filings, flight logs, or ICE case records.
Independent fact-checking reports say records of criminal cases were not found but could not independently verify asylum-application specifics.
Detention debate and conditions
The case has become emblematic in broader debates over a recent Minnesota enforcement surge, with officials reporting roughly 3,000 arrests in six weeks and prompting national political responses, protests, and calls for legal challenges.
Advocates and human-rights groups warned of poor conditions at the Dilley family detention center, citing reports of illness, malnourishment, and prolonged stays, while some politicians and administration allies defended the operation as necessary to enforce immigration laws and protect public safety.