On the afternoon of 20/1, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, at the entrance to their home in Minneapolis, Minnesota, minutes after Ramos returned from preschool, Minneapolis education officials said yesterday.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin explained that ICE agents did not intentionally target the child. According to her, Ramos "had been abandoned".
However, Mary Granlund, president of the Columbia Heights School District Council north of Minneapolis, who witnessed the arrest, told media that she heard adults inside the house repeatedly plead with agents to leave Ramos, but they refused. ICE agents are generally not permitted to enter private homes without a court order.
Granlund was driving to pick up her children when she heard a commotion in front of the family's house. "I heard someone shouting: 'What are you doing? Don't take the child away'," Granlund recounted.
As she got out of her car and approached the house, she heard someone else shout that a school district representative had just arrived and could take responsibility for caring for Ramos, referring to her.
"There were many opportunities for the child to be safely handed over to an adult", Granlund said, adding that she saw Ramos's mother through a window and heard Arias shout for her not to open the door, fearing agents would storm the house. It is currently unclear whether the mother was arrested.
When asked about the possibility of ICE using Ramos as "bait" to lure the mother out, Granlund replied, "Absolutely". "From the scene's imagery to the testimonies, everything is clear. I was there. This is exactly what happened".
DHS stated that agents "repeatedly offered Liam's mother the opportunity to take the child, but she refused". According to spokesperson McLaughlin's statement, agents even pledged not to arrest the mother, yet she still did not agree to take her child, while Arias said he wanted his child to stay with him.
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Federal agents next to young Ramos in front of the family's home in north Minneapolis, Minnesota, on 20/1. *Photo: NBC News* |
"Ramos's parents were asked if they wanted to take their child with them; otherwise, ICE would hand the child over to a safe person designated by the two", McLaughlin said, stating this was the appropriate procedure.
"I heard this story and thought it was terrible, how could we arrest a 5-year-old child", Vice President JD Vance commented on the incident on 22/1. "However, what were they supposed to do? Should they leave a 5-year-old child to freeze to death?".
Immigration attorney Marc Prokosch, legal representative for the family, stated that both Arias and young Ramos are being held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, near San Antonio, Texas.
According to Prokosch, the family entered the U.S. in 2023 after scheduling an appointment through the CBP One application, which the Joe Biden administration established to create an orderly process for migrants and reduce illegal border crossings. The President Donald Trump administration shut down this application after he took office.
"This family was not evading ICE at all. They fully complied with established procedures, pursued their asylum claims, and attended all court hearings. They posed no danger, made no attempt to flee, and should never have been arrested", Prokosch told the media.
On social media, ICE described Arias as an "undocumented immigrant with a criminal record", but provided no specific evidence.
ICE agents have arrested 4 students in Minneapolis in recent weeks, including Ramos. Two other children were arrested on their way to school, and one was arrested at home with their mother, according to local education officials. DHS has not responded to requests for comment on these cases.
Education officials reported a sharp decline in school attendance within the district. Recently, they have been forced to keep students indoors for recess due to ICE agents patrolling near school playgrounds. On some days, almost one-third of students did not attend class.
Minnesota is currently one of the hotspots for federal immigration enforcement campaigns, with approximately 3,000 agents deployed, primarily to the Twin Cities area, which includes St. Paul and Minneapolis.
The Columbia Heights School District comprises 5 schools with approximately 3,400 students from preschool to 12th grade, most of whom are children of immigrant families.
Duc Trung (According to NBC News, AP, Washington Post)
