ICE Officers Accused of Using Five-Year-Old as 'Bait' in Father's Arrest
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have detained a five-year-old boy after allegedly using him as "bait" to capture his father, according to officials and school authorities. The incident has ignited controversy in Minneapolis, where tensions over immigration enforcement have been escalating in recent weeks.
School Superintendent Condemns 'Cruel' Tactics
Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenvik revealed that agents snatched the child, Liam Conejo Ramos, from a running car on Tuesday. She claimed during a press conference that immigration officers then instructed the boy to knock on a house door to lure his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, outside.
"Why detain a five-year-old?" Stenvik demanded. "You cannot tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal. They were essentially using a five-year-old as bait."
Contradictory Accounts from Authorities
The White House has presented a starkly different version of events. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated emphatically that "ICE did NOT target a child." She insisted that officers had arrived to arrest Conejo Arias, an Ecuadorian national, who then fled on foot, "abandoning his child."
McLaughlin explained that for the child's safety, one ICE officer remained with Liam while others apprehended his father. She added that parents facing removal are typically given the choice to either be removed with their children or have them placed with a designated individual.
Family's Asylum Case and Current Situation
Stenvik countered that the family has an active asylum case and has not received any order to leave the country. She noted there was another adult present during the incident, but agents refused to leave Liam with that person.
The father and son have since been transported more than 1,000 miles from Minneapolis to a family holding facility in Texas, according to the family's lawyer, Marc Prokosch.
"Every step of their immigration process has been doing what they've been asked to do," Prokosch stated regarding the family's asylum claim. "So this is just cruelty."
Broader Context of Minneapolis Immigration Crackdown
This incident marks the fourth school student detained by ICE in Minneapolis in recent weeks, following President Donald Trump's intensified immigration enforcement in the city. Previous detentions included two 17-year-olds and a 10-year-old.
Stenvik reported that school attendance has plummeted dramatically since the crackdown began, with some classes experiencing declines of up to two-thirds. The situation has created widespread fear within immigrant communities.
Community Impact and Teacher's Plea
Liam's teacher, Ella Sullivan, described her student as "kind and loving" and expressed deep concern for his wellbeing. "His classmates miss him," she said. "And all I want is for him to be safe and back here."
The detention occurs just weeks after an ICE agent shot and killed Minneapolis resident Renee Good, further intensifying community tensions around immigration enforcement practices.
