Minnesota officials and the Trump administration are at odds over the detention of a five-year-old boy by immigration enforcement in a Minneapolis suburb. The incident occurred after the death of Renee Good. School district officials, the family’s attorney, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey criticized U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for detaining Liam Conejo Ramos outside his Columbia Heights, Minnesota, home following preschool.
Contrary to these views, federal officials, including U.S. Vice-President JD Vance, stated that the boy was not a target but was apprehended during the arrest of his father, identified as an “illegal alien.” The circumstances surrounding Liam and his father’s arrest are under scrutiny due to conflicting perspectives on the matter.
Superintendent Zena Stenvik of Columbia Heights Public Schools revealed that ICE agents used Liam as “bait” during the arrest, preventing other adults at the scene from caring for the child. Despite pleas from an adult present, agents led Liam to knock on his home’s door while the vehicle was left running outside. The chaotic situation was further described by Stenvik and school board chair Mary Granlund, who witnessed the event.
According to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin, ICE’s focus was on the boy’s father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, described as an “illegal alien from Ecuador.” McLaughlin clarified that ICE officers safeguarded Liam after his father fled the scene, leaving the child behind.
The family’s lawyer, Marc Prokosch, confirmed that Liam and his father were held at an immigration processing center in Dilley, Texas. Meanwhile, Vance defended ICE’s actions, emphasizing that the agency prioritized the child’s safety and denied allegations of arresting the preschooler. The lawyer disputed claims of the father being an “illegal alien,” asserting that both father and son legally entered the U.S. in 2024 and applied for asylum.
Prokosch refrained from disclosing further details regarding the asylum application or Liam’s mother’s citizenship status. Additionally, he mentioned not filing a habeas corpus petition yet but indicated it could be part of their legal strategy moving forward.