Preschooler and three other students detained by ICE, school district leader says

A 5-year-old preschool student was taken with his father by federal immigration agents shortly after arriving home from school, Columbia Heights school leaders said Jan. 21 — the first time a Twin Cities school district has publicly confirmed a student being detained by ICE since Operation Metro Surge began.

His detention, school leaders say, marked the fourth time a student from the district has been detained by federal agents in recent weeks as escalating immigration enforcement directly affects more Twin Cities schools and students. Roughly 3,000 federal agents are in Minnesota as part of what the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has described as the largest immigration enforcement operation in history.

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.

In Columbia Heights, a diverse north metro suburban district, more than 50% of students are Hispanic or Latino.

Columbia Heights Superintendent Zena Stenvik said federal agents approached the 5-year-old, Liam Conejo Ramos, and his father in their driveway after they had arrived home from preschool. Another adult living at the home was outside and begged the agents to let him take care of the small child.

Instead, Stenvik said, the agent took the child out of the still-running car and detained both him and his father, who wasn’t named by school leaders. Twenty minutes later, the boy’s brother, who is in middle school, came home to a missing dad, a missing little brother and a terrified mother, she said.

School leaders believe they are in Texas detention facilities.

“As agents approached, the driver, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, fled on foot,” she said. “For the child’s safety, one of our ICE officers remained with the child while the other officers apprehended Conejo Arias.”

She added 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. This is consistent with past administration’s immigration enforcement.”

McLaughlin also said parents can take control of their departure by self-deporting. For those who take up the offer, the federal government will give them $1,000 and a free flight to their destination country.

Marc Prokosch, the immigration attorney representing Liam’s family, said they had an active asylum case.

“I want to point out that they have done every single thing the right way and that they were supposed to in every step of their immigration process,” Prokosch said, adding that the father doesn’t have a criminal record. Liam’s detention may be legal, Prokosch said, but “legal doesn’t mean it’s moral.”

In his two decades in immigration law, he said, he’s worked on cases involving detained children. But, referring to Operation Metro Surge, Prokosch said he’s “not been through anywhere near this bad of a situation,” adding that it’s challenging to communicate with families who are quickly, often within 24 hours, transported to facilities in Texas.

Liam’s teacher, Ella Sullivan, teared up when thinking about Liam. “He’s a bright young student,” she said, “and he’s so kind and loving. His classmates miss him.”

Stenvik said Liam’s detention came just hours after a 17-year-old student was detained without a parent. In the past two weeks, she said, another 17-year-old and one 10-year-old student were also detained by ICE with their parents in separate incidents. District leaders didn’t release any more details about the cases.

Across the Twin Cities, several districts have reported sharp attendance declines as families keep children home amid heightened fear of enforcement activity near schools and bus stops.

Columbia Heights said that one day a third of its students were absent, mirroring similar numbers reported in Fridley schools. Columbia Heights also plans to expand online learning options, joining school districts like Minneapolis and St. Paul that are offering remote learning for students who don’t feel safe coming to class in person.

Columbia Heights administrators said one ICE vehicle drove onto Columbia Heights High School property Wednesday and approached a loading dock before administrators told the driver to leave, district leaders said.

“The sense of safety in our community and around our schools is shaken,” Stenvik said. “The onslaught of ICE activity in our community is inducing trauma and is taking a toll on our children, our families, our staff, and our community members.”

In Roseville, Superintendent Jenny Loeck told families Jan. 20 that ICE agents used two district properties during enforcement activity.

In an email, Loeck said video footage confirmed agents used Aŋpétu Téča Education Center as a staging area beginning around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20. “It is deeply disturbing that district space was used — without our consent — as a launching point for actions taken against our friends and neighbors,” Loeck wrote.