Father of Detained Boy Denies Abandonment Claims Amid Controversy

Tue Feb 03 2026 00:00:48 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Adrian Conejo Arias vehemently disputes government claims of child abandonment after being detained by immigration officers, leading to a public outcry and calls for reform.

Adrian Conejo Arias, whose 5-year-old son Liam was held by immigration authorities after his father was arrested, denies accusations of abandoning his son. The Department of Homeland Security alleges that Arias fled before his arrest, leaving the child in a vehicle. Arias argues that he would never abandon his son and claims that Liam was denied medication while in custody. The incident stirred significant backlash amid ongoing protests related to immigration policies under the current administration. A federal judge has since ordered the release of both father and son.

The father of a 5-year-old boy who was detained by immigration officers and held at a federal facility in Texas denied government accounts Monday that he abandoned his son while they were being returned to Minnesota.

Adrian Conejo Arias, who hails from Ecuador, told ABC News that he loves his son, Liam, and would never abandon him, countering statements from the Department of Homeland Security, which claimed that he had left the boy in a parked vehicle. He stated that Liam got sick during his time in custody but was denied medication.

Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin asserted in her statement that Arias fled on foot before his arrest, effectively abandoning his child. She explained that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers remained with Liam in the interim.

“The facts in this case have NOT changed: The father who was illegally in the country chose to take his child with him to a detention center,” she insisted.

McLaughlin did not address Arias’ claims that his child was denied medical assistance while in custody.

Arias has passionately contended that he was unjustly arrested and insists that he is in the country legally, stating he has a pending court hearing for asylum.

The comments arise after a federal judge ordered their release over the weekend. The pair returned to Minnesota earlier this week, as confirmed by Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro.

The family's case sparked outrage amid President Donald Trump’s intensified immigration crackdown, which has inspired daily protests and was thrust into the limelight after tragic incidents involving federal officers.

Arias’ detention elicited public anger, especially after images surfaced showing immigration officers surrounding the young boy, who sported a blue bunny hat and a Spider-Man backpack.

Despite the allegations of abandonment, many onlookers also criticized the practice of using children as 'bait' by federal authorities to apprehend their parents.

Marcos Charles, acting executive associate director of ICE, condemned Arias for “abandoning his child in the middle of winter in a vehicle,” while insisting that one officer remained with the boy throughout the situation.

The government claims that Arias entered the U.S. illegally from Ecuador in December 2024, although the family’s attorney has pointed out that he possesses a pending asylum claim. Arias’ lawyer referenced the desperate circumstances causing many Ecuadorians to flee recent violence in their homeland.

U.S. District Judge Fred Biery harshly criticized the administration's handling of the case, citing it as part of a troubling pattern of policies that traumatize children in pursuit of deportation quotas.