Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, who were detained by immigration officers in Minnesota and held at an ICE facility in Texas, have been released following a judge’s order. They have returned to Minnesota, according to Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro.
The two were detained in a Minneapolis suburb on January 20. They were taken to a detention facility in Dilley, Texas.
Katherine Schneider, a spokesperson for the Democratic congressman, confirmed the two had arrived home. Castro picked them up from Dilley on Saturday night and escorted them home on Sunday to Minnesota.
The Department of Homeland Security has yet to provide an official response concerning the father and son’s release.
Images of the young boy wearing a bunny hat and Spider-Man backpack and surrounded by immigration officers ignited outrage over the Trump administration’s handling of immigration enforcement in Minnesota.
Neighbors and school officials alleged that federal immigration officers used Liam as 'bait' by instructing him to knock on the door to his house so that his mother would open it. The Department of Homeland Security refuted this claim, calling it an 'abject lie,' stating the father fled on foot, leaving the boy in a running vehicle in their driveway.
As Liam and his father were on their way back to Minnesota, Rep. Castro wrote a heartfelt letter to Liam, praising him for his bravery and letting him know he had 'moved the world.'
Senator Amy Klobuchar welcomed Liam back to Minnesota, emphasizing he should be in school and with family, not in detention, reiterating demands for ICE reform.
