SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A judge on Saturday ordered the U.S. to release a 5-year-old boy and his father from a Texas detention center where they were taken after being detained in a Minneapolis suburb last month. Images of Liam Conejo Ramos, with a bunny hat and Spiderman backpack being surrounded by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officers, sparked even more outcry about President Donald Trump’s administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota. It also led to a protest at the family detention center and a visit by two Texas Democratic members of Congress. U.S. District Judge Fred Biery, who was appointed by former Democratic President Bill Clinton, stated in his ruling, 'the case has its genesis in the ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children.' A judge had previously ruled that the boy and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, could not be removed from the U.S. at least for now. Neighbors and school officials have reported that federal immigration officers in Minnesota used the preschooler as 'bait' by instructing him to knock on the door to his house so his mother would answer. The Department of Homeland Security has called that description of events an 'abject lie,' claiming the father fled on foot and left the boy in a running vehicle in their driveway. During a recent visit by Reps. Joaquin Castro and Jasmine Crockett, the boy slept in his father's arms; Castro reported that Liam was often tired and not eating well at the detention facility, which houses around 1,100 individuals. Detained families have reported poor conditions such as worms in food, insufficient access to clean water, and inadequate medical care since the facility's reopening last year. An ICE report acknowledged that approximately 400 children were held for longer than the recommended limit of 20 days.
Judge Orders Release of Young Boy Detained in Texas Immigration Facility
Judge Orders Release of Young Boy Detained in Texas Immigration Facility
A federal judge has mandated the release of a 5-year-old boy and his father from a Texas detention center amid heightened scrutiny of U.S. immigration practices.
A U.S. District Judge has ordered the release of Liam Conejo Ramos, a 5-year-old boy, from a Texas immigration detention facility. The decision comes after images of the boy, surrounded by immigration officers, ignited public outrage and calls for reform in immigration practices. Reports from the facility reveal poor conditions, including allegations of inadequate food and medical care. The boy's case highlights broader concerns over the treatment of immigrant families in detention centers across the country.
