Minnesota Boy, 5, Returns Home After ICE Detention Sparks Legal and Political Firestorm
By Timothy Gardner, Reuters
WASHINGTON, Feb 1 – Liam Conejo Ramos, a five-year-old boy whose detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents last month drew national outrage, has returned home to a Minneapolis suburb with his father, a U.S. lawmaker confirmed Sunday.
The release came after a federal judge on Saturday ordered ICE to free Adrian Conejo Arias and his son, who were detained during an enforcement operation in Minnesota. U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) personally facilitated their return, picking them up from the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley and escorting them back to Minnesota.
"Seeing Liam step back into his home, with his favorite blue bunny hat and his little backpack, was a moment of profound relief," Castro said in a statement. "But this is one family among thousands. Our work isn't done until every child separated from their family by these policies is safely home."
The case ignited a fierce debate over ICE's enforcement tactics after a photo of Liam standing outside his home surrounded by federal agents went viral. The Columbia Heights Public School District identified Liam as one of four students detained in the suburb, highlighting the operation's reach into community spaces.
Judge Fred Biery, in a scathing ruling that secured the pair's release, condemned the government's approach. "This case finds its genesis in the ill-conceived and incompetently implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children," wrote Biery, a Clinton appointee. He sharply criticized the use of "administrative warrants" issued by immigration officials themselves, comparing it to "the fox guarding the henhouse," and underscored the constitutional requirement for judicial warrants based on probable cause.
The detention of the Conejo Ramos family—who entered the U.S. legally as asylum applicants—has amplified calls from Democratic lawmakers for sweeping ICE reforms. These demands, fueled by recent large-scale raids and deadly shootings involving ICE agents in Minneapolis, include mandatory body cameras, an end to roving patrols, and restrictions on agents wearing face masks.
The political fallout continues in Washington, where funding for the Department of Homeland Security remains stalled amid partisan negotiations. Even some Republican voices, like Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, acknowledge a need for change, warning that such incidents "threaten to erode the trust authorities have built over time with residents."
Voices from the Community:
Maria Chen, 42, Social Worker, Minneapolis: "This isn't policy; it's cruelty. That a kindergarten student was targeted in what should be a safe space—his own neighborhood—shows a system utterly devoid of humanity. Judge Biery got it right: it's trauma for quotas."
David Porter, 58, Small Business Owner, St. Paul: "While the boy's release is good news, we can't ignore the rule of law. The family was in a legal process. The real discussion should be about fixing our broken asylum system so cases don't drag on for years, not vilifying officers doing a difficult job."
Rev. Samuel Johnson, 67, Community Organizer, Columbia Heights: "The image of that child will haunt this community. It has shattered trust that took decades to build. This is a wake-up call for comprehensive immigration reform that prioritizes dignity and due process over fear and quotas."
Lisa Yang, 29, Law Student, University of Minnesota: "The judge's ruling is a vital check on executive overreach. Using 'administrative warrants' to bypass judicial review is legally flimsy and morally bankrupt. This case is a textbook example of why oversight matters."
(Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Sergio Non and Chris Reese)