Adrian Conejo Arias, an Ecuadorian immigrant, declared his deep love for his 5-year-old son, Liam Conejo Ramos, and stated he would never abandon him, following their return to Minnesota on 2/2. Arias refuted allegations from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that he abandoned Liam during a pursuit by federal agents.
Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin previously stated that Arias left Liam in the car to flee when agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted a check at his home's entrance. The agents then "stayed with the boy" while pursuing and apprehending Arias nearby.
"The facts of this matter have not changed. That undocumented immigrant father chose to bring his son to a detention center," McLaughlin said.
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Adrian Conejo Arias and his son Liam in San Antonio, Texas, after being released from the detention center on 31/1. Photo: AP |
However, eyewitnesses at the scene accused ICE agents of deliberately using the boy as "bait", instructing him to knock on the door to lure his mother out. In principle, ICE agents are not permitted to force entry into private residences without a court order.
Arias stated that while detained at the federal facility, Liam became ill but was not given medication. McLaughlin did not respond to this issue.
The Ecuadorian man also asserted that he was "unjustly" arrested by ICE forces, claiming he was legally in the U.S. awaiting a court hearing for his asylum application.
Arias and his son, asylum seekers from Ecuador, were arrested by ICE agents on 20/1 at the entrance to their home in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The incident occurred just minutes after the boy was picked up from preschool.
Images of the boy wearing a blue rabbit-ear beanie and backpack, being restrained by agents, circulated globally, sparking outrage against President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. Liam and his father were detained for 10 days in a Texas detention center, hundreds of kilometers from their home, until a judge ordered their release on 31/1.
Minnesota is a focal point for U.S. government immigration enforcement campaigns, with approximately 3,000 agents deployed. Protests are occurring in multiple cities, and the Trump administration has faced pressure following two incidents where ICE agents fatally shot U.S. citizens.
Ngoc Anh (According to AP, CNN, Yahoo News)
