US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers detained a 5-year-old boy on Tuesday during an enforcement operation, Minnesota school officials have said, as part of an immigration crackdown in the state.
Pre-schooler Liam Ramos was with his father - named by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias - when Conejo Arias was approached by agents on his driveway.
In a statement posted on X, the DHS said ICE did NOT target a child, but was conducting an operation against his father, an illegal alien who abandoned his son when approached.
Zena Stenvik, the Columbia Heights Public Schools superintendent, asked: Why detain a 5-year-old? You can't tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal.
Photos provided to the BBC by the school district show a boy, identified as Liam Ramos, wearing a bunny-shaped winter hat, standing outside as an officer holds onto his backpack. The Columbia Heights Public Schools authority described these as bystander photos. The district did not identify the individuals who took the pictures, referring to them as known and confirmed community members.
According to Marc Prokosch, a lawyer representing the family, Liam and his father were likely being held at a detention centre in Texas. School officials stated that the father had an active asylum case with no deportation order.
Stenvik confirmed that Liam had just arrived home from pre-school at the time of the apprehension, and that school officials were present at the Ramos house to provide support during the incident.
Recently, ICE has detained a total of four students from her school district, including a 10-year-old and two 17-year-olds. Parents and community members have expressed fear and frustration over such operations.
In its post on X, the DHS described the arrest as a targeted operation and noted that one of their officers remained with the child for safety while other agents apprehended Conejo Arias. However, observers question why an adult was not allowed to take the young boy inside for comfort.
Columbia Heights Public Schools Board of Education Chair, Mary Granlund, emphasized, Our children should not be afraid to come to school or wait at the bus stop. Their families should not be afraid to drop off or pick up their children from school.
The DHS asserts they are focused on the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens to restore public safety in Minnesota, but the recent operations, termed Operation Metro Surge, have faced backlash from the community.
On 7 January, a federal officer fatally shot a woman, Renee Good, in Minneapolis, further intensifying scrutiny of ICE's actions.
