A nationwide debate erupted after a five-year-old boy, Liam Conejo Ramos, was detained during a large-scale immigration operation in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were deployed in the Democratic-led city as the federal government pursued a crackdown on undocumented immigrants.
US Vice President JD Vance defended the agency’s actions, explaining that officers were protecting the child after his father fled during the immigration sweep. “What are they supposed to do? Are they supposed to let a five-year-old freeze to death?” he stated, defending the detention as a safety measure.
Political Leaders Express Shock and Condemnation
Democratic officials voiced strong criticism over the incident. Congressman Joaquin Castro emphasized that authorities have not provided information about the child’s current location, reportedly held with his father in San Antonio, Texas. “My staff and I are working to ensure the child’s safety and demand his release,” Castro said.
Former US Vice President Kamala Harris called the detention “outrageous,” insisting that Liam should be with his family, not in a detention facility. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused federal authorities of “terrorizing communities” and “using children as pawns.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also criticized the federal response, saying the city’s children were being treated “like criminals” and describing the deployment of 3,000 federal agents as feeling like an “occupation.”
ICE Responds: Child’s Safety First
The Department of Homeland Security rejected claims that Liam was targeted. ICE explained that the child’s father, Conejo Arias, “abandoned” him during the operation, prompting officers to stay with the boy for his protection. Authorities clarified that parents are asked if they wish to leave with their children, or ICE will place children with a designated safe adult.
Broader Impact and Community Trauma
Liam Ramos is one of at least four children detained in the Minneapolis school district this month. Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenvik reported that children were apprehended by masked and armed ICE agents with no identifying badges. She said the operations were “inducing trauma and taking a toll” on the community’s children.
The detentions occurred amid heightened tensions in Minneapolis, including protests following the federal killing of US citizen Renee Good on January 7. The incident has intensified criticism of federal enforcement practices in sanctuary cities like Minneapolis, where local authorities do not cooperate with ICE.
Legal Challenges Loom
Minnesota has requested a temporary restraining order to pause ICE operations in the state. If granted, the order could halt federal sweeps until further review. A hearing for the application is scheduled for Monday.
Vice President Vance stated that local non-cooperation is complicating enforcement, saying it “turns up the temperature” for federal agents trying to carry out immigration laws. Meanwhile, legal representatives for Liam and his father maintain that they are asylum seekers who have followed legal procedures.
