Liam Conejo Ramos, 5, and the Minnesota ICE Detention That Turned Into a National Flashpoint

A 5-year-old boy’s brief walk from a school bus to his front door has become a defining image in the latest fight over U.S. immigration enforcement. Liam Conejo Ramos, a preschool-age student in a Minneapolis suburb, was taken into custody by federal immigration agents on January 20 and moved with his father to a family detention facility in Texas. The case now hinges on a basic question with major consequences: when agents encounter a child during an arrest, does “family unity” mean keeping the child out of detention—or bringing the child into it?

The uncertainty driving the outrage: two versions of the same afternoon

The public reaction has been fueled by competing accounts that describe radically different choices by federal agents in minutes that mattered. In one version, officers used the child to draw an adult out of the house and refused offers from nearby adults willing to take custody, turning a safety situation into a pressure tactic. In the other, agents describe a chaotic arrest in which the father fled and left the child in a running vehicle, forcing them to secure the boy’s safety and, ultimately, keep father and son together.

Both narratives carry high stakes. If the first is accurate, it raises questions about coercion and compliance with internal guidance for encounters involving children. If the second is accurate, it shifts the focus to what officers are obligated to do when a child appears temporarily unattended during an arrest. The clash has also landed in a tense local climate, with Minnesota already seeing sustained protests tied to intensified immigration actions and heightened scrutiny of federal use-of-force incidents.

What’s known so far: who Liam is, what happened, and where the family is now

Liam Conejo Ramos is a 5-year-old Ecuadorian child who was detained outside his family’s home in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, on Tuesday, January 20, shortly after arriving back from preschool. His father has been publicly identified as Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, with some government court records listing him as Adrian Alexander Conejo Ramos—consistent with varying name formats used across documents. Liam is also referenced in records as Liam Adrian Conejo Ramos.

Federal agents detained Liam and his father during an enforcement action at or near the family residence. The boy’s detention became widely known after photos and video circulated online showing him beside a federal vehicle wearing winter clothing and a child’s backpack.

Key disputed point: whether Liam was “used as bait.”

• School officials and neighbors describe agents directing Liam to knock on the door to see who was inside and rejecting attempts to place him with nearby adults who offered care.

• Federal authorities deny that the child was targeted or used to lure anyone from the house, describing the “bait” framing as false and emphasizing that officers focused on Liam’s safety.

Where they are now: Liam and his father were transferred to a family detention center in Dilley, Texas, a long-term facility used for families with minor children.

Legal posture: Immigration court records show pending cases for Liam and his father and no existing deportation orders listed for either—meaning an immigration judge must still decide their claims before any removal attempt can proceed. Detention, however, can still be used while those cases are being adjudicated, depending on legal status and agency discretion.

The family’s attorney has said the family entered the U.S. in 2024 seeking asylum and has pushed for their release. Federal authorities dispute aspects of the family’s entry-and-processing account, adding another layer of factual disagreement that may surface in legal filings.

Mini timeline: how the story moved from a driveway to a detention center

• Dec. 17, 2024: Immigration court records show the family’s case docketed.

• Jan. 20, 2026: Liam and his father are detained outside their Minnesota home after Liam returns from preschool.

• Jan. 21–23: Photos and video circulate widely; local school officials and neighbors publicly challenge the agents’ conduct; federal officials issue rebuttals and blame the father for leaving the child in a running vehicle.

• By Jan. 23: Liam and his father are confirmed at the Dilley, Texas, family detention facility.

• Next turning point: court filings and custody decisions will clarify whether the family remains detained while the immigration case moves forward—or whether release conditions are ordered.

For now, Liam Conejo Ramos has become more than a name in a detention log. He’s the center of a dispute over what “child safety” means during immigration arrests—and whether the safeguards meant to keep children out of custody hold up in real-world operations.