Judge orders release following national outcry over controversial detention
MINNEAPOLIS, Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, have been released from ICE custody and returned safely to Minnesota after being held in a Texas detention facility.
The pair were detained on January 20 near their home in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, and transported over 1,300 miles to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley. Their detention drew national attention, particularly after images of Liam wearing a blue bunny hat went viral.
A U.S. District Court judge, Fred Biery, ordered their immediate release, criticizing federal immigration practices that he said “risk traumatizing children.” Representative Joaquin Castro personally escorted the family home, while lawmakers including Senator Amy Klobuchar and Representative Ilhan Omar welcomed their return.
ICE has defended the operation, stating the child was not the target and efforts were made to place him with family claims the family disputes. The Conejo Ramos family maintains they have an active asylum claim pending.
Their release reignites debate over immigration enforcement and the detention of children, as advocates call for policies prioritizing family unity and humane treatment.
