The father of a five-year-old boy detained by immigration authorities in Texas has publicly rejected government assertions that he abandoned his child during an arrest earlier this week. Adrian Conejo Arias, originally from Ecuador, has firmly denied allegations from the Department of Homeland Security that he left his son, Liam, unattended in a vehicle.
Father's Account Contradicts Official Narrative
Speaking to ABC News on Monday, Arias declared his unwavering love for his son and insisted he would never intentionally abandon him. The father also raised serious concerns about his child's welfare during federal custody, claiming Liam became ill but was denied necessary medication by officials.
"I love my son and would never leave him," Arias stated, directly challenging the government's version of events. He further maintained that his arrest was unjust and that he remains in the United States legally with a pending asylum hearing.
Government Officials Stand By Their Version
Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin provided a starkly different account in an official statement. She asserted that Arias "fled on foot before he was arrested, abandoning his child," and confirmed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers remained with the young boy throughout the incident.
"The facts in this case have NOT changed," McLaughlin emphasised. "The father who was illegally in the country chose to take his child with him to a detention center." The official did not address Arias' specific allegation about his son being denied medication while in custody.
Release Ordered Amid Growing Controversy
The conflicting accounts emerged just as U.S. District Judge Fred Biery ordered the pair's release over the weekend, criticising what he described as "the ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children."
According to Texas Representative Joaquin Castro, both father and son were released on Sunday and have since returned to Minnesota. The Justice Department's immigration court records currently show no scheduled future hearings for Arias.
Broader Immigration Context
This family's detention and subsequent release occurred against the backdrop of President Donald Trump's intensified immigration enforcement measures, which have sparked daily protests across the nation. Recent weeks have seen heightened tensions following the fatal shooting of two American citizens by federal officers.
Border czar Tom Homan acknowledged that mistakes might have occurred in some enforcement actions but affirmed that agents would continue implementing federal immigration laws. He called for increased cooperation between local, state, and federal authorities.
Community Outrage and Conflicting Testimonies
The detention of young Liam provoked significant public outrage, particularly as images circulated showing immigration officers surrounding the small boy wearing a distinctive blue bunny hat and Spider-Man backpack.
Neighbors and school officials have alleged that federal officers used the child as "bait," instructing him to knock on his family's door to prompt his mother's appearance. The Department of Homeland Security has strongly disputed this characterisation of events.
Marcos Charles, acting executive associate director of ICE enforcement and removal operations, placed responsibility squarely on the father, stating Arias had committed the grave error of "abandoning his child in the middle of winter in a vehicle." He explained that one officer remained with the child while others apprehended the father.
Legal Status and Asylum Challenges
Government records indicate Arias entered the United States illegally from Ecuador in December 2024, though the family's legal representative maintains he has a legitimate pending asylum claim that permits his continued presence in the country.
Ecuadorians face particularly difficult odds in American immigration courts, with judges granting asylum in only 12.5% of decisions during the twelve-month period ending September, according to data from Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse research organisation.
This case highlights the complex realities facing asylum seekers in the United States, where most are released pending court hearings that can take years to resolve within an increasingly backlogged immigration system.
