5-Year-Old Liam Ramos and Father Released From ICE Custody, Return to Minnesota

Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, have returned to their home in a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota, after being held for more than a week in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Dilley, Texas, officials and lawmakers say. Their release followed an order from a federal judge, who criticized the government’s handling of the case and mandated their return to Minnesota on Sunday.

The boy and his father were detained on Jan. 20 in their driveway during a broader immigration enforcement operation as part of Operation Metro Surge, which has involved increased federal immigration activity in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area. The incident garnered widespread attention after images of Liam, then wearing a blue bunny hat and a Spider-Man backpack, circulated online and sparked national outrage over the treatment of immigrant families and children during immigration enforcement actions.

Liam and his father, originally from Ecuador, were moved to the Texas facility designed to house families held by ICE after their Minneapolis detention. A U.S. District Judge Fred Biery sharply criticized aspects of the government’s immigration enforcement tactics in issuing the release order, noting concerns about trauma to the child and administrative procedures. The judge’s ruling prevented further detention or deportation and required the pair’s immediate release and return.

Their release and return were facilitated in part by U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX), who helped escort the family from the detention centre back to Minnesota. Upon their arrival, community members, local officials and national lawmakers welcomed them home; some expressed hopes for further reforms and the release of other families still in detention.

Federal authorities defended the actions of ICE, stating the agency did not intentionally target the child and asserting that protocols were followed, while legal representatives and local educators disputed those descriptions and highlighted the stress and uncertainty faced by the family and other detained students during their separation.

The case has intensified debate in the U.S. over immigration enforcement policies, particularly those involving children and family detention, and is occurring against a backdrop of broader public scrutiny of federal immigration operations in cities such as Minneapolis and other major urban areas.