Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, who had been held in a family detention facility in Texas, have returned to Minnesota after a federal judge ordered their release. The detainees were previously held in a facility in Dilley, Texas, as part of a broader ICE enforcement initiative targeting families in Minnesota.
Liam and his father were taken into custody on January 20 in a Minneapolis suburb and subsequently transferred to the Texas detention center. The operation was reportedly linked to an intensified enforcement surge in Minnesota, according to court documentation.
Their release followed an intervention by Representative Joaquin Castro, a Democrat from Texas, who personally collected the family from the Dilley facility late Saturday night and accompanied them back to Minnesota on Sunday. Representative Castro highlighted Liam's return home, noting the boy’s signature blue bunny hat and backpack. “We won’t stop until all children and families are home,” Castro stated, emphasizing ongoing concerns about family detentions.
Prior to their detention, Liam had become a visible figure in the community due to a widely circulated photograph showing him wearing a blue bunny hat and backpack outside his residence under the watch of armed federal agents. The incident gained attention because Liam was one of four children attending Columbia Heights Public School District who were detained during recent immigration raids, as confirmed by the school district.
The government asserts that Adrian Conejo Arias entered the United States without authorization from Ecuador in December 2024. However, his legal representatives argue that he sought asylum upon arrival and currently has a pending case that permits him to remain in the country, highlighting that no forthcoming immigration hearings are scheduled according to court dockets.
In response to claims about the handling of the case, Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, conveyed in a statement to the Associated Press that ICE agents did not specifically target or detain Liam. McLaughlin explained that Liam's mother declined to take custody of the child after his father was detained, and thus Conejo Arias requested to keep Liam with him. The department refuted allegations suggesting agents used Liam as “bait” to draw other family members.
United States District Judge Fred Biery issued the release order, sharply criticizing the government’s deportation approach. The judge stated that the case originates from the flawed implementation of daily deportation quotas by the government, a policy that may lead to the unnecessary trauma of children. He further condemned ICE’s use of what he termed "administrative warrants," which bypass the constitutional requirement of judicial approval for warrant issuance, describing the practice as analogous to "the fox guarding the henhouse."
This judicial decision coincides with growing political tensions surrounding large-scale immigration operations in Minnesota, actions that have been underscored by tragic events including the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens during federal enforcement activities. In light of the controversies, Democratic members of Congress have advocated for stricter regulations on ICE operations. Proposed reforms call for the mandatory use of body cameras on agents, an end to roving patrols, a ban on masked personnel during operations, and attempts to link these conditions to the approval of Homeland Security funding.
The case of Liam and his father thus highlights critical fault lines in the national debate over immigration enforcement policies, balancing legal frameworks, operational conduct, and humanitarian considerations.