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US FEDERAL OFFICIALS are struggling to contain mounting anger over the detention of a five-year-old boy during a sweeping immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, as businesses across the city closed in protest against ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.
The child, Liam Conejo Ramos, a pre-school student at Columbia Heights Public Schools near Minneapolis, and his Ecuadoran father, Adrian Conejo Arias, were detained in their driveway earlier this week as they arrived home from school.
Video obtained by CBS News shows the moment ICE agents took 5-year-old Liam Ramos in Minneapolis. The boy was taken with his father while in their driveway after just arriving home from his preschool classroom.
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 23, 2026
School officials say the child was used as bait to knock on the… pic.twitter.com/BdyqG2t6Ni
Both are asylum seekers with an active case, according to the family’s lawyer and school officials.
Zena Stenvik, superintendent of Columbia Heights Public Schools, said the child was removed from the still-running car and directed by an ICE agent to knock on the door of his home to see if anyone else was inside.
In a statement seen by The Journal, Stenvik described the move as “essentially using a five-year-old as bait”.
Another adult at the home pleaded with officers to allow the child to remain there, but the request was refused, Stenvik said.
Around 20 minutes later, Liam’s older brother returned home to find his father and younger sibling gone.
Thousands of ICE agents have been deployed to the Democratic-led city under what authorities have dubbed Operation Metro Surge, part of President Donald Trump’s renewed push to deport undocumented migrants.
Vice President JD Vance defended the operation in remarks yesterday, confirming that Liam had been detained but insisting agents were acting to protect him after his father allegedly fled.
“What are they supposed to do? Are they supposed to let a five-year-old child freeze to death?” Vance said.
Vice President J.D. Vance addressed the controversy over the detention of 5‑year‑old Liam Conejo Ramos in Minneapolis during a news conference, saying, “What are they supposed to do? Are they supposed to let a five‑year‑old child freeze to death?” pic.twitter.com/YW12zLSGHM
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) January 23, 2026
ICE commander Marcos Charles echoed that account today, claiming officers “did everything they could to reunite him with his family” and alleging that relatives inside the home refused to open the door.
He said Liam and his father were now together at a “family residential centre” pending immigration proceedings, adding that they had entered the US illegally and were “deportable”.
School officials and the family’s lawyer strongly dispute that claim.
Marc Prokosch, who represents Liam and his father, said they entered the United States through an official port of entry and followed all legal requirements in applying for asylum.
There is no deportation order against them.
“This family is following US legal parameters,” Stenvik said, adding that she had personally reviewed the paperwork.
Columbia Heights Public Schools held a press conference on Wednesday detailing what it said was a pattern of ICE activity targeting children in the district.
Officials said at least four students have been detained in recent weeks, including a 10-year-old taken with her mother while travelling to school and two 17-year-olds, one of whom was allegedly detained by masked and armed agents without a parent present.
“ICE agents have been roaming our neighbourhoods, circling our schools, following our buses, coming into our parking lots and taking our kids,” Stenvik said. “The sense of safety in our community is shaken and our hearts are shattered.”
Liam’s teacher, Ella Sullivan, described him as “a bright young student” who “just brightens the room”.
“All I want is for him to be back here and safe,” she said.
The United Nations human rights chief, Volker Türk, called on US authorities to end the “dehumanising portrayal and harmful treatment of migrants and refugees”.
Former vice president Kamala Harris said she was “outraged”, describing Liam as “just a baby”.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said children were being treated “like criminals”, while Democratic congressman Joaquin Castro said his office was working to locate Liam and demand his release.
The crackdown has triggered widespread protests, school walkouts and calls for a general strike.
Anti-Trump group Indivisible Twin Cities urged residents to take part in a day of action on Friday under the slogan: “No work. No school. No shopping.”
Minnesota has sought a temporary restraining order to halt the ICE operation, with a federal court hearing scheduled for Monday.
The protests come amid heightened tensions in the city following the killing of protester Renee Good, 37, who was shot dead by an ICE agent earlier this month.
The officer involved has not been suspended or charged, and the Trump administration has described the shooting as an act of self-defence.
Additional reporting from AFP
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