Controversial ICE Detention of 5-Year-Old Sparks Outcry in Minnesota

Fri Jan 23 2026 14:32:45 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The detention of 5-year-old Liam Ramos during an ICE operation raises questions about the safety and treatment of children in immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has come under fire after detaining a 5-year-old boy, Liam Ramos, during a family enforcement operation in Minnesota. His father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, was apprehended while Liam was waiting at home after preschool. School officials, local leaders, and advocates have expressed outrage over the decision to detain a child, questioning the necessity and ethics of the operation.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers detained a 5-year-old boy on Tuesday during an enforcement operation in Minnesota, raising serious concerns about the impact of immigration crackdowns on vulnerable populations. The boy, identified as Liam Ramos, was with his father—Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias—when agents approached them at home.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has stated that ICE did not target the child, but was acting against his father, described as an 'illegal alien'. According to the spokesperson, the father allegedly abandoned his child during the incident.

Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenvik questioned the rationale behind detaining a young child. 'You can't tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal,' she remarked, highlighting the dissonance of the enforcement actions.

Photographs released by the school district depict Liam wearing a bunny-shaped winter hat as an officer holds onto his backpack. These images, taken by community members, show the young boy's distress during the operation.

Legal representation for the family indicated that both Liam and his father were likely being held at a detention center in Texas, despite the father having an active asylum case with no deportation order. The family was reportedly at home when school officials were providing support prior to the incident.

Superintendent Stenvik noted that this unfortunate event was not isolated, with other students from their district having faced similar detentions by ICE recently, including children as young as 10.

The DHS described the operation as targeted, claiming that the procedure ensures the safety of children during such apprehensions. However, community leaders argue that such practices instill fear among families, with individuals afraid to drop off or pick up their children at schools.

As public outcry against ICE's methods increases, local leaders are calling for a re-evaluation of these enforcement strategies, stressing the importance of protecting children within these operations. The mission, dubbed Operation Metro Surge, aims to apprehend individuals deemed a threat to public safety in Minnesota, yet has faced significant scrutiny in the wake of the recent incident.