Washington — A federal judge on Tuesday issued a temporary order blocking the removal of a 5-year-old boy and his father after they were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minnesota, a case that has reignited national debate over immigration enforcement and family detention.
The child, identified as Liam Conejo Ramos, and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, were taken into custody earlier this month and later transferred to the Dilley Immigration Facility in Texas, according to the family’s attorney.
The ruling temporarily prevents federal authorities from deporting the pair while legal proceedings continue.
Conflicting Accounts of the Arrest
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) strongly disputed claims made by Minnesota officials, describing the incident as a “hoax by leftists.” In contrast, local leaders said the child was effectively used as “bait” during the enforcement operation.
Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated on social media platform X that the child had been “abandoned,” alleging that the situation was worsened by what she described as “agitators” at the scene.
Minnesota School Superintendent Zena Stevinik, however, said the father and child were detained in their driveway shortly after the boy returned home from preschool.
Witnesses Describe Chaotic Scene
School Board Chair Mary Granlund, who arrived at the scene while on her way to pick up her own children, described hearing a loud disturbance.
“I heard someone shouting, ‘What are you doing? Don’t take the child,’” Granlund said during a news conference. She added that a witness recognized her as a school official and alerted her to what was happening.
Granlund recalled hearing one of the child’s guardians yelling, “Please do not open the door,” as ICE agents conducted the operation.
DHS Defends Agents’ Actions
McLaughlin defended the conduct of federal officers, stating that ICE follows established procedures when children are present during arrests.
“Parents are asked whether they want to be removed with their children, or ICE places the children with a safe person designated by the parents,” she said.
According to DHS, officers acted in accordance with the father’s wishes to keep the child with him.
“Our officers’ primary concern during the entire operation was the safety and welfare of the child,” McLaughlin wrote. “Following the mother’s abandonment of the child, officers abided by the father’s wishes to keep the child with him and even got the child McDonald’s and played his favorite music.”
She confirmed that the father and son remain together at the Dilley facility in Texas.
Growing National Attention
The case has drawn widespread public attention amid heightened immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, which has deployed more than 2,400 Department of Homeland Security agents to Minnesota in recent weeks.
Civil rights advocates and local officials say the incident highlights the human cost of aggressive immigration tactics, particularly when young children are involved. Federal authorities, meanwhile, maintain that officers followed protocol and acted in the child’s best interest.
The temporary court order remains in effect while the judge reviews further legal arguments in the case.