A US federal judge has ordered the release of a five-year-old Ecuadorian boy and his father from a Texas immigration detention centre by Tuesday, condemning the 'ill-conceived' government pursuit of deportation quotas that led to the child's arrest.
Liam Conejo Ramos was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minneapolis on 20 January after returning from school with his father, Adrian Conejo Arias. Images of the preschooler wearing a bunny hat and plaid coat sparked outrage, with claims that agents used him as 'bait' to try to arrest his mother inside the home.
US District Judge Fred Biery, who had previously barred the pair's removal from the country, included a photo of Liam in his ruling and referenced two Bible verses: 'Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me”' and 'Jesus Wept.' He described the detention as traumatising a child for the sake of daily deportation quotas.
The Department of Homeland Security disputed the 'bait' claim, posting on social media that the child was 'abandoned.' However, the Columbia Heights school district superintendent said another adult at the home begged agents to let them care for the child but was refused, and the agent instead directed the boy to knock on the door to see if anyone else was home.
Texas Representatives Joaquin Castro and Jasmine Crockett visited the pair at the detention centre, where Liam was reportedly tired and not eating well. The family's lawyer said they presented themselves to border officers in Texas in December 2024 to apply for asylum, and their claims remain pending.
