U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers detained a 5-year-old boy on Tuesday during an enforcement operation, Minnesota school officials have reported, as part of an immigration crackdown in the state.
The boy, Liam Ramos, was with his father - Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias - when agents approached on their driveway.
In a statement posted on X, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) asserted, ICE did NOT target a child, but was conducting an operation against his father, an alleged illegal alien who purportedly abandoned his son when approached.
Columbia Heights Public Schools superintendent, Zena Stenvik, posed the question, Why detain a 5-year-old? You can't tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal.
Photos provided by the school district depict Liam standing with an officer gripping his backpack, wearing a bunny-shaped hat. These images have raised concerns regarding the emotional safety of children involved in such operations.
Marc Prokosch, representing the family, stated that both Liam and his father were likely detained in Texas, despite the father having an active asylum case without a deportation order.
Adding to the tension, school officials had been present at the Ramos house to provide support during the incident. Stenvik stated this was not an isolated case, mentioning that ICE had recently detained four other students from her district, including two teenagers.
The DHS characterized the incident as part of a targeted operation focused on individuals posing a serious threat, a mission termed Operation Metro Surge. This has sparked protests and widespread criticism from community members and officials in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Stenvik, alongside local leaders, has emphasized the need for children's safety at schools and the importance of a supportive community atmosphere, questioning the ethics of using raids in such environments.
As tensions rise, the DHS continues to maintain that their measures are lawful and aimed at improving public safety, despite the ongoing backlash against their policies and operations.
