Trump Administration Seeks Deportation of Five-Year-Old Boy Following Release from ICE Custody
Legal representatives for the Trump administration are actively pursuing the deportation of five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, the young boy whose photograph wearing a bunny hat in snowy Minneapolis captured global attention last month. Liam and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, were apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials in Minneapolis before being transferred to a family detention facility in Texas.
Release and Renewed Deportation Efforts
Despite a judge ordering their release from detention on 31 January 2026, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Friday that it is seeking a deportation order for the Ecuadorian child. The department has denied allegations that it is attempting to expedite the removal of Liam and his father from the United States, characterising the proceedings as standard immigration enforcement.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated via an official DHS communication: "These are regular removal proceedings. They are not in expedited removal. This is standard procedure and there is nothing retaliatory about enforcing the nation's immigration laws."
Political Advocacy and Legal Challenges
Democratic members of Congress Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Joaquin Castro of Texas have been vocal advocates for the family. Castro, who personally escorted Liam and his father back to Minnesota last weekend, expressed strong criticism of the administration's actions on social media platform X.
"Liam Ramos, 5, spent ten days in a Texas trailer prison. He got sick, missed his mother and school, and was afraid of the guards," Castro wrote. "But now, the Trump administration is trying to take him again. They are breaking legal precedent in an attempt to break this boy's spirit and all of the Americans who are praying for him."
The family's legal representative, Danielle Molliver, described the government's actions as "extraordinary" and potentially "retaliatory" in nature. Both Liam and his father entered the United States legally as asylum applicants, and the government is now seeking to terminate their asylum claims according to reports from MPR News.
Broader Context of Child Detentions
Liam's case represents the latest prominent example of the Trump administration's intensified approach to detaining minors. According to a Guardian analysis of records obtained by the Deportation Data Project:
- ICE booked approximately 3,800 minors into immigrant family detention between January and October 2025
- This figure includes children as young as one or two years old
- More than 2,600 of these minors were apprehended by ICE officers within the country rather than at border crossings
The legal team representing the Ramos family has declined to discuss specific case details but affirmed their commitment to challenging any erroneous decisions through proper immigration court channels. "We will make our case before the immigration court, challenging any erroneous decisions, and ensure that US immigration law works for our clients," they stated in correspondence with media outlets.
This developing situation continues to highlight the ongoing tensions surrounding immigration enforcement policies and their impact on vulnerable populations, particularly young children caught within complex legal proceedings.
