Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, who were detained by immigration officers in Minnesota and held at an ICE facility in Texas, have been released following a judge’s order. They have returned to Minnesota, according to Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro.
The two were detained in a Minneapolis suburb on January 20 and transferred to a detention facility in Dilley, Texas. Katherine Schneider, a spokesperson for Rep. Castro, confirmed their arrival home, noting that Castro assisted in their return.
The Associated Press sought comments from the Department of Homeland Security regarding the pair's release, but no immediate response was received. Images of Liam, clad in a bunny hat and Spider-Man backpack while surrounded by immigration officers, sparked outrage and criticism of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement approach.
Community members and school officials alleged that federal immigration officers used Liam as “bait” by instructing him to knock on the door of his home, prompting his mother to answer. This description has been denied by the Department of Homeland Security, which claimed the father fled on foot and left the boy in a running vehicle in the driveway.
While on the flight back to Minnesota, Rep. Castro wrote a letter to Liam, telling him he has 'moved the world'. He expressed that Liam's family and many others had prayed for his safe return. In a social media post, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar welcomed Liam back, asserting he belongs in school and with family, not in detention, and called for ICE to cease such practices.
