Dems Blast ICE After 5-Year-Old Minnesota Boy Is Detained On His Way Home From Preschool

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Illinois Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth were among the Democrats who condemned ICE after agents detained 5-year-old Liam Ramos and his father on their way home from preschool in the Minneapolis area.

Ramos is the fourth student from the Columbia Heights School District to be swept up in the Trump administration's nationwide immigration crackdown. District officials and a family attorney confirmed the boy and his father are in custody at an ICE facility in Texas.

Columbia Heights Public Schools

The family’s lawyer, Marc Prokosch, told the press that Ramos and his family are originally from Ecuador and presented themselves to border officers in Texas in December 2024 to apply for asylum. He stressed they "are not illegal aliens" and that "they came legally, and are pursuing a legal pathway.”

Zena Stenvik, superintendent of the school district in Columbia Heights, a Minneapolis suburb, said Ramos was taken into custody in his family’s driveway after his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, drove him home. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Arias was the focus of a “targeted” ICE operation on Tuesday.

Stenvik said "another adult living in the home was outside and begged the agents to let them take care of the small child, but was refused." Instead, an agent “led him to the door and directed him to knock on the door, asking to be let in, in order to see if anyone else was home—essentially using a 5-year-old as bait."

Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino denied this, defending what he referred to as "legal, ethical and moral law enforcement missions here in Minneapolis." Bovino said "I didn’t detain a 5-year-old, and we’re going to continue with that law enforcement mission.”

ICE also issued a denial via X in response to criticism from Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin, accusing him of "lying for clicks":

"ICE did not, and has never, 'used a child as bait.' The child was ABANDONED."

"On January 20, ICE conducted a targeted operation to arrest Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias an illegal alien from Ecuador who was RELEASED into the U.S. by the Biden administration. As agents approached the driver Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, fled on foot — abandoning his child."

"For the child’s safety, one of our ICE officers remained with the child while the other officers apprehended Conejo Arias. Parents can take control of their departure and receive a free flight and $2,600 using the CBP Home app."

Clinton rebuked this narrative, condemning ICE for "using children as pawns":

"Enforcing the law is one thing. Terrorizing a population, using children as pawns, is another. My heart aches for Liam Ramos and his family."

Duckworth also called out ICE's "cruelty":

"This is Liam Ramos. He is 5 years old. ICE snatched him and his father on the way home from school, then used him as bait to target his family. A family who followed the rules. A child as bait. Their cruelty knows no end."

Former Vice President Kamala Harris said Ramos "is just a baby" who "should be at home with his family, not used as bait by ICE and held in a Texas detention center."

Texas Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett confirmed she "will be visiting the Dilley Detention Center in San Antonio next week to conduct oversight and will demand answers on the whereabouts and wellbeing of Liam."

She added:

"If it were up to me, we’d be at the Dilley Detention Center RIGHT NOW getting answers. But let’s be clear about what’s really happening here: the Trump Administration is illegally blocking Members of Congress from conducting lawful oversight."

"We have an absolute right—under federal law and the Constitution—to enter detention facilities, unannounced, to ensure the safety and wellbeing of people in government custody. I am outraged. My heart aches for Liam’s family. We will get answers."

Crockett's fellow Texan, Joaquin Castro, said he will inspect the detention center "next week," stressing that he and his staff "are doing everything we can to locate him, check on his safety and demand his release."

Virginia's James Walkinshaw called ICE's actions "indefensible" and called for an investigation into the matter, writing in part:

"Trump’s mass deportation machine is out of control. How many children is ICE doing this to? We need an investigation, now."

Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey said he is "heartbroken," "disgusted," and "angry":

"ICE is out of control. We need accountability now."

Others have joined the politicians in condemning ICE's detainment of the boy.

Despite the number of witnesses who've reported ICE used the child as "bait" during their operation, DHS claimed the officer in charge "made multiple attempts to get the mother inside the house to take custody of her child."

The agency added:

"Officers even assured her that they would NOT take her into custody. She refused to accept custody of the child. The father told officers he wanted the child to remain with him."

"Our officers' primary concern during the entire operation was the safety and welfare of the child. Following the mother’s abandonment of the child, officers abided by the father’s wishes to keep the child with him. Father and son are together at Dilley."

However, Pastor Sergio Amezcua, who has been helping the mother since her husband and son were taken, said neighbors "advised her not to" open the door for the agents, fearing she—who is pregnant and also has a teenage son—would also be detained.