An immigration judge has denied the asylum claim of the family of Liam Conejo Ramos, the 5-year-old boy photographed in a bunny hat and Spider-Man backpack as he was detained with his father during the immigration crackdown that shook Minneapolis earlier this year, according to a family lawyer. The boy and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, were ordered deported to Ecuador. They were taken into custody in a Minneapolis suburb on January 20 and held for ten days in a Texas detention center before a judge ordered their release. The family’s lawyers are appealing the ruling by Judge John Burns. We’re just gravely disappointed in the judge’s misguided decision, said Danielle Molliver. An appeal could take years, though the government may seek a quicker resolution. Liam is back in school, but both father and son are shaking from the experience. Neighbors and school officials have accused federal immigration officers of using Liam as 'bait' to draw out his mother, a claim denied by the Department of Homeland Security, which described the allegation as an 'abject lie'. The father reportedly fled on foot, leaving the boy in a vehicle in the driveway. The government states he entered the U.S. illegally in December 2024, while the family's lawyer argues he entered legally while seeking asylum.