Minnesota: A routine return home from preschool turned into a traumatic ordeal for a five-year-old boy in Minnesota after federal immigration officers detained him along with his father, drawing sharp criticism from school officials, community leaders and child welfare advocates.
The child, identified by school authorities as Liam Conejo Ramos, was taken into custody on Tuesday afternoon from the driveway of his family’s home in Columbia Heights, a Minneapolis suburb. According to the local school district, immigration officers approached the family’s vehicle as it pulled in and instructed the boy to knock on the door of his house to check if others were inside — a move the superintendent described as deeply troubling.
“This was, in effect, using a five-year-old child as a tool in an enforcement action,” said Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenvik, calling the incident “unconscionable.”
Liam and his father were later transported to a family detention facility in Dilley, Texas. The family arrived in the United States in 2024 and currently has an active asylum case, according to school officials, with no existing deportation order against them.
Conflicting accounts from authorities
The Department of Homeland Security pushed back against claims that the child was deliberately targeted. In a public statement, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were executing an arrest of the boy’s father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, whom authorities say is an Ecuadorian national without legal status.
McLaughlin alleged that the father attempted to flee, leaving the child behind, and that an officer remained with the boy to ensure his safety. She added that parents are given the option to remain with their children during detention or arrange alternative care.
School officials and witnesses dispute that version. Stenvik said another adult residing in the home was present and willing to take custody of Liam, as were neighbours and even a school board official. Despite multiple offers, officers reportedly refused to release the child to any of them.
Mary Granlund, chair of the Columbia Heights school board, said she personally told officers she would take responsibility for the child. City council member Rachel James, who lives nearby, said a neighbour presented documentation authorising them to care for Liam, but officers ignored it.
Legal uncertainty and detention concerns
The family’s attorney, Marc Prokosch, said he has been unable to establish direct contact with the child or his father and believes they are being held together in a family unit.
“We’re exploring every legal and humanitarian avenue available to secure their release,” Prokosch said, adding that the situation has caused immense distress to the family and the community.
The case has renewed scrutiny of conditions at the Dilley detention centre. Leecia Welch, chief legal counsel at Children’s Rights, said children held there are facing severe health and welfare challenges. After visiting the facility last week as part of an ongoing lawsuit, Welch reported widespread illness, malnutrition and prolonged confinement.
“The number of detained children has surged dramatically, with many held for more than 100 days,” she said. “Nearly every child we spoke to was sick.”
Fear ripples through school community
Columbia Heights Public Schools, which serves about 3,400 students — most from immigrant families — says the incident has intensified fear across the district. Liam is the fourth student from the area detained by immigration authorities in recent weeks. Others include a 10-year-old and two teenagers, one of whom was taken while heading to school.
Attendance has dropped sharply, with some days seeing nearly a third of students absent as parents keep children home out of fear.
“Agents have been circling our neighbourhoods, our schools, even our buses,” Stenvik said. “This is creating real trauma for children.”
Liam’s teacher, Ella Sullivan, described him as a gentle and caring student. “His classmates ask about him every day,” she said. “They just want him safe and back with us.”
Political reaction
Vice President JD Vance addressed the case during a meeting with Minneapolis leaders, saying he initially heard a “terrible story” but later learned the child had been detained rather than formally arrested. Defending enforcement actions, Vance questioned what alternatives officers had in the moment.
As debate continues over immigration enforcement and child welfare, Liam’s case has become a flashpoint — raising urgent questions about how far authorities should go when children are caught in the middle.
