Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has issued a public apology after acknowledging he "misspoke" and spread misinformation regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. The prominent sports figure, known for his outspoken criticism of former President Donald Trump, made the retraction following controversial comments about the agency's detention practices.
Kerr's Original Comments and Context
Kerr's initial remarks came during a period of heightened national tension following two fatal shootings involving ICE officers. The deaths of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis and 37-year-old Renee Good in her car sparked widespread protests against the agency's immigration enforcement tactics.
Speaking on Monday night, Kerr asserted: "It's not like they're rooting out violent criminals... they're taking five-year-old kindergartners and US citizens and detaining people." These comments appeared to reference five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, who was detained alongside his father and is currently held at the South Texas Family Residential Center facility.
The Public Apology and Correction
Addressing reporters ahead of Golden State's game against the Detroit Pistons, Kerr offered a clear correction to his previous statements. "I definitely misspoke, and I knew that ICE was arresting some criminals," the coach admitted, adding that he "immediately regretted" his earlier comments upon realising their inaccuracy.
Kerr elaborated on his intended message, stating: "My point is that they're also arresting people and detaining citizens and people who should not be being detained. The manner in which they're doing it, as you see, is riling everybody up all over the country."
Emotional Context and Minneapolis Experience
The Warriors coach connected his emotional state to recent events in Minneapolis, where the team's scheduled game against the Minnesota Timberwolves was postponed due to unrest following Pretti's shooting. "Being in Minneapolis for those four days was incredibly emotional and powerful," Kerr reflected. "It was a very difficult time for all of us. At the end of those four days, it was a pretty emotional time."
In his apology, Kerr specifically addressed the misinformation: "I misspoke, and I apologize for the misinformation. I hope everybody else out there who's saying stuff that's not true, please apologize, too... That was false what I said and so I want to correct that for the record."
The Case of Liam Conejo Ramos
The five-year-old boy referenced in Kerr's comments has become a focal point in the national immigration debate. Liam Conejo Ramos was reportedly detained as he returned home from school in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, with sources indicating the child is now "sick and depressed" following the experience.
A photograph of the boy wearing a blue winter hat and Spider-Man backpack circulated widely, drawing significant criticism of the Trump administration's immigration policies. Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, remain detained near San Antonio at a facility that has faced allegations of civil rights abuses against migrants in court documents.
The incident continues to fuel ongoing debates about immigration enforcement methods and their impact on families and communities across the United States.
