A newly released airport security video shows that Delta Air Lines flew a five-year-old boy and his father to a Texas detention facility in January. The footage, obtained from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, depicts Liam Conejo Ramos and his father Adrián Conejo Arias walking through the terminal accompanied by three unidentified individuals before boarding a flight to San Antonio.
The boy was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after his father, an Ecuadorian migrant, was apprehended during an enforcement operation in Minneapolis. A photo of Liam wearing a blue bunny hat and holding a Spiderman backpack while being led by an agent became a symbol of opposition to President Trump's immigration policies.
The video was obtained by activist Nick Benson of MN50501 through an information request and first reported by independent journalist Gillian Brockell. It shows the group approaching a Delta gate desk, where one person handed an employee what appears to be identification. Upon arrival in Texas, Liam and his father were taken to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley.
Texas lawmakers Joaquin Castro and Jasmine Crockett, who visited the pair, described the boy as lethargic and crying for his mother. They spent about ten days in detention before a federal judge ordered their release, criticising the Trump administration for cruelty. Delta had not previously commented on the flight, though it later featured in an ABC News report showing the father and son returning to Minneapolis, where pilots let Liam sit in the cockpit.
Government agencies often book flights through third parties, and airlines may not know passenger details. Trump officials claimed the boy's father abandoned him during arrest and that his mother refused custody, while neighbours accused agents of using Liam as bait. The Department of Homeland Security said agents cared for Liam by taking him to McDonald's and playing his favourite music.
