A five-year-old boy, Liam Ramos, wearing a blue tuque with droopy ears and carrying a Spider-Man backpack, was reportedly apprehended by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in his Columbia Heights driveway on Tuesday. The incident has sparked outrage and raised questions about the agency's practices and the well-being of children. Liam was on his way home from preschool with his father when he was taken into custody. According to Columbia Heights Public Schools (CHPS) Superintendent Zena Stenvik, the child was essentially used as bait by ICE agents. Another adult living in the home begged the agents to let them take care of the child, but was refused. Instead, the agent took Liam out of the vehicle, led him to the door, and asked him to knock to see if anyone else was home.
Liam and his father are currently being held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Centre in Dilley, Texas. The family's lawyer, Marc Prokosch, confirmed this information. Columbia Heights, a suburb of Minneapolis, has been a focal point of immigration crackdowns, with thousands of officers deployed in the Twin Cities. The community has been a powder keg of protests and aggression since an ICE officer shot and killed Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, denied targeting Liam but stated that ICE was conducting a 'targeted operation' to arrest his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, an 'illegal alien from Ecuador'. McLaughlin claimed that the child was not targeted and that one of the ICE officers remained with Liam for his safety while the other officers apprehended Conejo Arias. However, the statement did not provide details about Liam's whereabouts after the arrest.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz criticized the detainment, emphasizing that Minnesotans want safety, freedom, and what's best for their children. He expressed his concern over the agency's actions, stating that 'masked agents snatching preschoolers off the street and sending them to Texas detention centers serves none of those purposes.'
The school district officials reported that three other children have also been detained by ICE in recent times. On Tuesday, a 17-year-old high school student was taken by armed and masked agents while on their way to school. Two weeks ago, a 10-year-old and her mother were arrested on their way to school and were later sent to a detention center in Texas. Last week, another 17-year-old high school student was also detained.
The DHS statement did not mention any other children, and CBC News has yet to receive a response regarding their information request. The incident has raised concerns about the treatment of children by ICE and the potential impact on families and communities.
