ICE detains five-year-old and father in Minnesota, lawyer says

January 22, 2026

A five-year-old boy named Liam Ramos was taken into custody by ICE agents in Minnesota during an operation targeting his father, who authorities say fled when approached on his driveway after the child returned from pre-school. While ICE claims they kept the child safe after his father abandoned him in cold weather and that family members refused custody, school officials and the family's attorney dispute this account, stating the father was complying with asylum protocols and that offers to take the child were rejected by agents. The incident has intensified controversy surrounding Operation Metro Surge, an enhanced immigration enforcement initiative in Minnesota that school officials say is traumatizing their community.

Who is affected

Liam Ramos (five-year-old boy) and his father Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias (detained and held in Texas)
Columbia Heights Public Schools students (four total detained, including a 10-year-old and two 17-year-olds)
School district community members and families
Other adult family members in the home who were denied custody of the child
Minneapolis/St. Paul area residents experiencing increased ICE enforcement
Renee Good (37-year-old woman fatally shot by federal officer on January 7)

What action is being taken

ICE is conducting Operation Metro Surge, an enhanced immigration enforcement initiative in Minnesota
The boy and his father are being held at a detention center in San Antonio, Texas
Attorneys are attempting to contact the detained father and son
Protests are ongoing against immigration enforcement activities in the region
ICE operations continue to arrest individuals they characterize as threats to public safety

Why it matters

This case highlights the controversial implementation of immigration enforcement policies that can result in young children being detained alongside parents, raising questions about child welfare and appropriate enforcement procedures. The incident exemplifies broader tensions between federal immigration enforcement priorities and local community concerns about traumatizing effects on families and students. The dispute over what actually happened—whether the father abandoned his child or was complying with asylum protocols, and whether family members were truly offered custody—reflects deeper disagreements about immigration enforcement transparency and accountability during intensified operations.

What's next

Attorneys are working to contact Liam Ramos and his father at the Texas detention facility
The $1.2 trillion funding measure (including $64.4 billion for DHS and $10 billion for ICE) must still pass the Senate after narrowly passing the House 220-207

Read full article from source: BBC