He had on a Spider-Man backpack that hung loosely from his shoulders and a bright blue helmet. Outside of his Minnesota home, a picture of five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos standing next to a federal agent has subtly come to represent more unease in recent days.
Still humming the tunes his teacher had played earlier, Liam was making his way back from preschool. ICE officials showed up minutes after he arrived. The driver was Adrian Conejo Arias, his father. The boy was quickly removed from the car by the agents, who then guided him to the front door. Officials at the school said they urged him to knock because they thought someone might answer.
They wanted to unlock another door by guiding a child toward a locked one. I found that detail more striking than the others.
The mother was still inside, motionless. She is already parenting a teenage son while pregnant. Outside, neighbors yelled at them not to open the door. When someone offered to take Liam in, the officers turned them down. Rather, the same evening, the boy and his father were transported by air to a detention center in Dilley, Texas.
Liam joined a greater number of people at the South Texas Family Residential Center: more than 3,800 children were held with their parents in 2025. Federal agents have greatly boosted family detentions away from the border by incorporating this policy change into domestic enforcement. Critics claim the outcomes have been especially detrimental on an emotional and logistical level.
| Name | Liam Conejo Ramos |
|---|---|
| Age | 5 |
| Nationality | Ecuadorian |
| Location Detained | Columbia Heights, Minnesota → Dilley, Texas |
| Parent in Custody | Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias |
| Detention Facility | South Texas Family Residential Center |
| Legal Status | Seeking asylum (pending case) |
| Current Status | Deportation temporarily blocked by court |
| External Reference | CNN Coverage |
When approached, Liam’s father reportedly ran away, leaving his son briefly alone, according to ICE. This version has been hotly debated. Attorneys and school authorities contend that Adrian maintained composure while repeatedly telling his wife not to open the door. Witnesses attest that he never resisted. All he asked was for Liam to stay with him.
Marc Prokosch, Liam’s attorney, clarified that the family applied for asylum via CBP One, following the proper procedures. “They did what they were told. They attended the court. He underlined, “They weren’t concealing. Even if they are bureaucratic, these nuances are crucial.
According to recent testimony, agents attempted to use Liam as a courier to persuade Liam’s mother to come outdoors. According to Superintendent Zena Stenvik, agents asked Liam to knock in order to identify other residents, which she described as “deeply inappropriate.”
ICE rejects the account. They maintain that the mother turned down custody and that an adult offered help too late. However, an adult kept asking to watch the child—and getting no response—according to Mary Granlund, the chair of the Columbia Heights School Board, who happened to drive by during the occurrence.
Agents allegedly played Liam’s favorite music while they took him to McDonald’s following the arrest. That could appear to be compassion on paper. However, it feels hollow when compared to the reality of his abrupt breakup and transfer. especially when combined with accounts from within the Dilley facility.
There have been protests there in recent days. The inmates have been chanting loudly and continuously. Eric Lee, an attorney, recounted pictures of youngsters sobbing behind chain-link gates and meals that were allegedly delivered with dirt and insects. The terrible conditions were reportedly reminiscent of those found in adult jail facilities, but with children in every room.
After closing in 2024, the Dilley Center reopened in March 2025 as part of a federal contract. More than 2,000 people can live there. Its surroundings are not at all nurturing for kids like Liam. Many inmates are sleep deprived, losing weight, and experiencing health issues linked to stress, according to Leecia Welch of Children’s Rights. Rare are toys. The amount of time spent outside is limited.
These are not hypothetical problems. They’re incredibly intimate. The decision to have a child sleep behind a chain-link fence each night is made by both humans and systems.
ICE continued with complete detention despite the father’s cooperation and ongoing asylum claim. Liam’s transfer outside of his present district has been blocked by a federal judge, who has intervened to stop his deportation. It buys time, but it doesn’t bring about closure.
That month, ICE detained a number of Columbia Heights pupils, including Liam. A similar course was taken in another case involving a two-year-old girl: arrest, flight to Texas, legal difficulties, and final return. These recurring trends raise serious concerns.
Liam’s grandparents addressed the local media back in Ecuador. He was characterized as happy, inquisitive, and compassionate. Lucila, his grandmother, maintained that the family moved only due to financial necessity and had no criminal history. Following the arrest online from Quito’s La Planada neighborhood, they watched as their loved ones vanished behind ambiguous regulations.
This goes beyond solitary misbehavior. It represents an enforcement strategy that, by design, maximizes compliance while minimizing context. We lose sight of children’s humanity—and our own—when we treat them as logistical factors.
Citing policy, federal officials are still defending the operation. However, no policy that detains a five-year-old, particularly one who was lawfully applying for refuge, should be regarded as standard.
Now that Liam’s case is in legal limbo, conversations about child protection and detention restrictions have resurfaced. Enforcement of the Flores Agreement, which requires children to be freed within 20 days, has proven remarkably ineffectual. ICE confirmed detaining over 400 juveniles beyond that threshold in December alone.
The decision to detain a preschooler is a choice, not a need, for a country that is capable of creativity and transformation. It’s also the one that shouts louder than any policy memo.
