Boy, 5, and father detained by ICE return to Minnesota after release

February 2, 2026

A five-year-old boy named Liam Conejo Ramos and his father Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, who were detained by ICE in Minnesota, have been released and returned home to Minneapolis following a court order. US District Judge Fred Biery granted an emergency release on Saturday, condemning their detention as motivated by deportation quotas and criticizing the trauma inflicted on the child. The case generated significant controversy, with conflicting accounts from ICE officials claiming the father abandoned his child while fleeing, and school officials stating the child was used to access the home and then detained despite offers from others to care for him.

Who is affected

Liam Conejo Ramos (five-year-old boy) and his father Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias
The family members living in their Minneapolis home
Other detainees at the Dilley, Texas detention center (specifically two with active measles infections)
School officials and staff at Ramos's pre-school
School board member Mary Granlund who was present at the scene

What action is being taken

ICE is pursuing arrests, detentions, and removals of individuals they claim have no right to be in the country
The Trump administration is working to restore what it calls "rule of law" to the immigration system
All movement at the Dilley detention center has been halted due to confirmed measles infections among detainees

Why it matters

This case highlights the controversial implementation of immigration enforcement policies, particularly their impact on young children and families seeking asylum. The judge's ruling that deportations were being driven by daily quotas rather than proper legal procedures raises serious concerns about how immigration policy is being executed. The conflicting narratives between ICE officials and witnesses, combined with the traumatic separation of a five-year-old from his family and community, illustrates the human cost of aggressive enforcement tactics and has sparked national debate about the balance between immigration enforcement and humane treatment of asylum seekers.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC