The father of a five-year-old boy has revealed his son is experiencing severe nightmares and anxiety following their detention by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minneapolis. Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias described how his son Liam Conejo Ramos wakes up crying multiple times each night, terrified that his family might be separated again.
Family Returns to Minneapolis After Judge's Order
Liam Conejo Ramos, who was born in Ecuador, and his father Adrian returned to Minneapolis on Saturday after a federal judge ordered their release pending their asylum cases. The pair had been taken into custody by ICE agents on the driveway of their family home on 20 January, an incident that has sparked widespread public outrage.
"He hasn't been the same since this all happened," Adrian, an Ecuadorian national, told Telemundo. "He's very scared. At night he wakes up several times crying and asking for help... he has nightmares. He calls me when he wakes up and says, 'Daddy, Daddy,' so I have to go to him."
Viral Image Sparks Public Outrage
A photograph of Liam wearing a bunny hat and Spider-Man backpack while surrounded by officers went viral and caused significant outrage among protesters and the wider public. The image captured the moment when ICE agents confronted Adrian outside his home after he returned from picking up Liam from nursery.
Adrian recalled that agents told his wife, who is pregnant with the couple's third child, to stay inside during the detention. Their detention occurred between the high-profile killings of Minneapolis residents Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, both 37-year-old US citizens, adding to the tense atmosphere in the city.
Family Living in Fear After Release
Since returning to Minneapolis, Adrian revealed that the family are effectively "in hiding" due to ongoing fears about their safety and potential re-detention. "We are in hiding. Nobody really knows where we are. We are afraid to go out on the streets and have this happen to us again," he explained to Telemundo.
Controversial Detention Tactics Alleged
Describing the controversial detention, Adrian recalled one agent suggesting that Liam could knock on the front door to get whoever was inside the house out. Witnesses, including an employee from Liam's school, would later recall hearing similar discussions among the agents, leading to accusations that they were using the young boy as "bait."
The Department of Homeland Security has repeatedly denied using Liam as "bait," stating instead that Liam's father ran off without him to evade capture, and that his mother refused to take custody of him. However, an attorney for the family has countered that Liam and Adrian were following all "established protocols" for pursuing asylum and should never have been detained in the first place.
Broader Immigration Debate Intensifies
The incident has become a flash point in ongoing debates about whether immigration officials have gone too far in detaining young children. The case highlights the psychological impact of immigration enforcement actions on vulnerable family members, particularly young children who may not fully understand the circumstances surrounding their detention.
As the family continues to navigate their asylum process, the emotional toll of their experience remains evident in Liam's ongoing nightmares and the family's decision to remain in hiding. The case continues to raise important questions about immigration enforcement practices and their impact on children's wellbeing.
