Detainment of 5-year-old boy draws international attention and support for his family

The 5-year-old boy from Columbia Heights who was detained with his father this week is drawing international attention as both remain in a San Antonio, Texas, family detention facility.

The preschooler, Liam Conejo Ramos, and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, were detained in their driveway after arriving home from school on Jan. 20.

Photos of the 5-year-old being escorted into a federal vehicle wearing a blue rabbit hat and red backpack spread rapidly on social media and drew international media coverage after leaders of the small north metro Columbia Heights school district chose to speak publicly against enforcement actions they say are “inducing trauma” on students.

More than half of the district’s 3,000 students are Hispanic or Latino.

Asked about the boy while in Minneapolis on Jan. 22, Vice President JD Vance said that, as a father, he was horrified when he first heard the story. But after learning more details, he said he concluded that agents had no other choice. “What are they supposed to do? Are they supposed to let the 5-year-old freeze to death?” Vance said.

Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that ICE “did NOT target a child” and that as agents approached Arias’ car, he fled on foot. “For the child’s safety, one of our ICE officers remained with the child while the other officers apprehended Conejo Arias,” she said.

School leaders say that several bystanders disputed that account, adding that the father ran to the house to alert his wife not to open the door.

“There was ample opportunity to safely hand that child off to adults,” Granlund said. She said she believed the boy’s mother was inside the home and afraid to open the door as agents surrounded it.

Marc Prokosch, the family’s attorney, said they came to the U.S. in 2024 from Ecuador, had an active asylum case and the preschooler should never have been detained. He said the family was properly following immigration rules and Conejo Arias had no criminal history.

Prokosch said he hasn’t been able to directly talk to the family about how they’re doing but said there’s an “urgent” need to free the 5-year-boy.

“We’re looking at our legal options,” he said. “We’re hopeful and we have to be hopeful.”

“We know detaining children and families is wrong,” he added.

According to the National Immigration Law Center, ICE’s policy is that arresting officers should allow a parent to make arrangements for their child’s care. It’s unclear if they did in this situation.

McLaughlin said in another statement that: “ICE does not separate families or deport U.S. citizens. Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children or if they would like ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates.”

Gov. Tim Walz condemned the incident, writing on X that “Minnesotans want safety. They want freedom. They want what’s best for our kids. Masked agents snatching preschoolers off the street and sending them to Texas detention centers serves none of those purposes. This campaign of retribution has got to stop.”

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar added on X that it’s “absolutely disgraceful. This is what happens when Donald Trump’s government pays bounties for people. Doesn’t matter if they’re legal. Doesn’t matter who they are. Doesn’t matter if they’re five-years-old. How can anyone justify this any more?”

Columbia Heights Superintendent Zena Stenvik said teachers, school staff and community members have rallied together to monitor school buildings for agents and are working hard to otherwise maintain a sense of normalcy for students. But students are paying attention.

“They see it on a daily basis in our community,” she said.

Parent-teacher organizations, social workers and community organizations are fundraising to support students in the school district.

A fundraiser for Liam’s family has raised more than $150,000 and noted that “this sudden separation has left their family heartbroken and desperate to bring them back home ... It’s unimaginable for a child so young to be in a place like this, far from the comfort and care of his family.”

The fundraiser noted that Liam’s mother is grateful for the overwhelming support and kindness from the community.

Stenvik said her decision to speak publicly was driven by concern for children rather than politics.