Five-year-old and father released from ICE custody, return to Minnesota

A 5-year-old boy and his father have returned to Minnesota after being released from a Texas immigration detention center, where they spent more than a week following their arrest by U.S. immigration agents.

Liam Conejo Ramos is held by his father Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias while boarding an aircraft to return to Minneapolis, after the pair who had been detained by immigration officers were ordered released by a judge from a Texas detention center, in San Antonio, Texas, U.S., February 1, 2026 in a still image from video.

Photo: ABC News via REUTERS

“Yesterday, five-year-old Liam and his dad Adrian were released from the Dilley detention center,” Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) wrote Saturday on X. “I picked them up last night and brought them back to Minnesota this morning. Liam is home. With his hat and his backpack.”

Their detention drew widespread attention after a photo of Liam—wearing a blue hat with ears and carrying a Spider-Man backpack—circulated in global media. The pair had been detained on January 20 outside their home as Liam returned from preschool.

A federal judge, Fred Biery, ordered their release Saturday, calling for it “as soon as possible,” but no later than Tuesday. “Human behavior shows that some of us are driven by a perverse lust for unchecked power and cruelty that knows no bounds,” Biery wrote in a sharp rebuke of the boy’s detention.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz criticized the case, saying, “Releasing a child from detention should not require a court order.”

CNN reported that Liam is the fourth child from his school district to be detained by immigration agents within two weeks. School staff and family members accused Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of using the boy as “bait” to apprehend his parents.

Pastor Sergio Amezcua, who is assisting Liam’s pregnant mother, said she feared leaving her home as agents stood outside. Neighbors reportedly warned her she might also be arrested if she stepped out.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), however, claimed Liam’s father attempted to flee during the arrest, briefly leaving the child unattended. Officials said the mother “refused” to take custody of Liam. DHS also stated the father had requested to keep the boy with him during detention.

ICE denied using the child as bait and referred to the father as an “illegal immigrant.” But the family’s lawyer said they legally entered the U.S. from Ecuador in 2024 and have applied for asylum.

DHS reports over 3,000 undocumented immigrant arrests in Minnesota since December, with 3,000 agents deployed.

In January, two American citizens — Renee Good and Alex Pretti—were shot and killed by immigration agents in Minneapolis.

(jh)

Source: PAP