Minnesota officials and the Trump administration are at odds over the recent detention of a five-year-old boy by immigration authorities in a Minneapolis suburb. The boy, Liam Conejo Ramos, was taken into custody in the driveway of his Columbia Heights home after returning from preschool.
According to school district officials, the family’s lawyer, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were criticized for detaining Liam alongside his father. Federal officials, including U.S. Vice President JD Vance, stated that the boy was not the target but was apprehended during the arrest of his father, described as an “illegal alien.”
The differing perspectives on the arrest of Liam and his father are highlighted in the following accounts. The superintendent of Columbia Heights Public Schools revealed that ICE agents reportedly used Liam as “bait” before detaining him and his father. Another adult at the residence attempted to care for the child but was denied by the agents. The agents then escorted Liam to the door to check if anyone else was home.
During a news conference, school officials provided further details of the chaotic scene at the Columbia Heights residence. Witnesses described a situation with people shouting and talking over each other. School board chair Mary Granlund witnessed the arrest while picking up her children from school and offered to take the child but could not recall the agents’ response.
On the other hand, Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated that ICE did not target the five-year-old boy but were present to arrest his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, identified as an “illegal alien from Ecuador.” ICE officers stayed with Liam as his father fled and left him behind for safety reasons.
While the family’s lawyer disputed the characterization of Liam’s father as an “illegal alien,” stating that both father and son legally entered the U.S. in 2024 and applied for asylum. The attorney mentioned that there were no criminal records for the father in the Minnesota database and indicated that filing a habeas corpus petition might be part of their legal strategy.