Lawmakers visit 5-year-old Minnesota boy, who appeared ‘depressed’ in detention center

A 5-year-old Minnesota child detained with his father at a Texas immigration facility appeared lethargic during a visit Jan. 28 by members of Congress, who demanded the family’s immediate release and an end to the use of family detention.

Liam Conejo Ramos, a Columbia Heights preschooler, was taken by federal agents Jan. 20 along with his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, after returning home from school, according to the family’s attorney as well as multiple witnesses. Arias has no criminal record, and the family, originally from Ecuador, had an active asylum case, the family’s attorney said.

They were transferred to and remain at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley.

“He was lying in his father’s arms,” Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, said of Liam during a news conference after the visit. “His father said Liam has been sleeping a lot. He’s been asking about his family and his classmates. I think that he wants to go be back in school with his classmates.”

According to the Associated Press, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery issued a temporary order Jan. 26 prohibiting the father and son’s removal while their court case proceeds, so they can’t be deported.

Castro said the boy asked about his rabbit hat and Spider-Man backpack — the items he had on when federal officers put him into a car. A photo of him in his hat and backpack spread rapidly on social media and drew international attention.

Immigration advocates and lawmakers said Jan. 28 that Liam’s case can help bring awareness to the conditions at the facility, which sits outside San Antonio. The family detention center is holding about 1,100 people, Castro said, adding that he saw many other children under 5 in detention, including a 2-month-old baby.

Castro, echoing previous statements by the attorney representing the family, said Liam’s family entered the United States legally and was authorized to remain while the asylum case was processed.

“When people talk about an orderly and efficient immigration system — they followed the rules,” Castro said.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, who joined Castro on the visit to the Dilley detention center, described conditions inside the facility as “worse than those faced by some people accused of or convicted of crimes.”

“Imagine being a free, loving kid, and all of a sudden you’re thrown on a plane, sent 1,500 miles away from home,” Crockett said, describing Liam and his father. “You have one set of pants and one shirt. Your dad washes them every single day and hangs it up by a unit to try to dry it overnight.”

Crockett said Liam’s mother is pregnant.

The Dilley facility was reopened in April after being shuttered under the Biden administration, Crockett said. Crockett added that several detainees said they had been held for months, despite paperwork citing an average detention time of 28 days.

Both Castro and Crockett said detainees reported unsafe drinking water, expired food and limited access to medical care.

“They have decided to play with people mentally,” she said. “They have decided to tell people things like, ‘Well, you’re not going to be able to see your kids if you do this, or we’re not going to do this if you do that, or we’re not going to give you your court dates.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has said in response to media reports about the conditions that Dilley meets federal detention standards and has regular inspections.

Castro directed sharp criticism at Trump administration officials, urging President Donald Trump to consider what it would mean for his own grandchildren to experience detention.