A five-year-old boy was reportedly detained by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers during an immigration enforcement operation.
As per the Minnesota school officials and the family's lawyer, pre-schooler Liam Ramos was with his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, when Conejo Arias was approached by agents on his driveway.
In a statement posted on X, the DHS claimed that "ICE did NOT target a child" but was conducting an operation against his father, who they described as an "illegal alien" who allegedly "abandoned" his son.
Zena Stenvik, the Columbia Heights Public Schools superintendent, expressed frustration, noting, "Why detain a five-year-old?
"You can't tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal."
In a post on X, ICE denied detaining the child, adding, "ICE made multiple attempts to get the family inside the house to take custody of the child."
"They refused to accept custody of the child. The father told officers he wanted the child to remain with him."
Images from the scene show the boy in a bunny-shaped winter hat, looking visibly scared as he stands outside with an officer putting a hand on his backpack.
Marc Prokosch, a lawyer representing the family, told a press conference on Thursday, January 22, that Liam and his father were being held at a detention centre in San Antonio, Texas, and attorneys were trying to contact them.
Prokosch said the boy and his father had come to the US in 2024 from Ecuador to seek asylum.
School officials shared that an agent asked the child, who was just returning from pre-school, to knock on the door of the home to see if anyone else was there.
Stenvik said another adult living in the home asked to take the young boy inside but was refused.
School board member Mary Granlund said she was on the scene and told immigration officials she could take Liam Ramos, but they still detained him.
Moreover, as per the school officials, ICE had recently detained a total of four students in her school district, including a 10-year-old and two 17-year-olds.
