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.
Those marks have been noticeable since the summer of 2024, when then-campaign spokesperson Leavitt attributed them to Trump's “constantly working and shaking hands all day, every day” on the campaign trail.
When questions resurfaced after photos also showed Trump with noticeably swollen ankles, Leavitt released a memo from Physician to the President Dr. Sean Barbabella, who described the marks as “minor bruising on the back of his hand” caused by “soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin,” which is commonly taken as a preventive blood thinner.
But now a large bruise and discoloration has been spotted on his left hand, as seen in photos taken by photographers Chip Somodevilla and Fabrice Coffrini at Trump's Board of Peace charter signing.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
When asked about this, Leavitt gave the following explanation to CBS reporter and producer Sara Cook:
“At the Board of Peace event today in Davos, President Trump hit his hand in the corner of the signing table, causing it to bruise.”
Trump repeated the absurdity, saying he "clipped it on the table."
No one is buying it.
The White House has still not released the results of a scan after Trump's admission in December that he underwent an MRI of an unknown body part during a visit to Walter Reed Military Center in October.
What the White House did release was a letter from Barbabella saying that "the purpose of this imaging was preventive: to identify issues early, confirm overall health, and ensure he maintains long-term vitality and function."
The imaging results, Barbabella said, are "perfectly normal" and that there are no major abnormalities affecting his heart or major blood vessels. Overall, "all major organs appear very healthy and well-perfused" and "functioning within normal limits with no acute or chronic concerns."
In response to reporters' questions about the MRI, Trump said "if they want to release it, it's okay with me to release it" but said he has "no idea" what part of his body the MRI assessed.
Thankfully, as we as a society continue to evolve, many formerly macho, misogynistic men have indeed begun to learn the error of their ways.
And often grimace when they see younger men making the same poor decisions they did in their younger days.
Redditor optimum_wiz was curious to learn about the biggest mistakes men constantly see younger men making, leading them to ask:
"Men of Reddit, what’s a mistake you see younger men making repeatedly?"
"Some people aren't worth it, no matter how much they mean to you."
"Also if someone makes it clear that they want nothing to do with you, just leave em alone."- Training_Teach_1018
"Take care of your bodies."
"I don't mean just exercise, but get injuries checked."
"Wear a helmet."
"Maybe don't try the first backflip of your life off the hood of your car while 8 beers deep."
"Stuff like that."
"This isn't necessarily just men, but we do seem to be the dumbest ones in this regard."
"I was guilty as hell and am now paying the price."
"I was an athlete raised to just walk it off."
"Now I'm in my 40s with joints that sound like Rice Krispies and lingering effects of multiple concussions in my 20s."-Infinite_Ground1395
"Ego lifting at the gym!"
"You’re gonna tear something, and then you won’t be able to lift at all."
"Lower the weight, get the form right, and I swear on everything that is holy you WILL be lifting heavier in no time."- throwawaytomyalt
Gym Weights GIF by Guava Juice Giphy
"Not putting away anything for retirement."- monogram-is-king
"Sports betting…"
"There is a big rise in male college students getting help for gambling addiction and filing for bankruptcy."
"The Economist has a new article this week about this trending issue."- PoliNerdy
"Placing too much value in what other people think."- SobahJam
Mark Wahlberg No GIF by Daddy's Home Giphy
"Buy 3/4 ton or 1 ton trucks for 'work' for 40,000 or more dollars at 12 percent interest 'to help build credit'."
"Completely unnecessary and shoots them in the foot big time."- Frosty-Sand-8458
"Not finding good mentors."
"Older good men want to help younger men be better."
"All they have to do is ask and not do stupid stuff."- grandpapuppyboy
"Every man who refuses to confront himself will become a slave to the projection of others."- TecN9ne
Man With A Plan Comedy GIF by Laff Giphy
"They take advice from and become influenced by Redditors instead of thinking for themselves or surrounding themselves with real people you respect."- No_Fortune_3787
"Honest truth to God?"
"Having sex without condoms and treating the girls like they are sex toys."
"Then fast forward 40y they pay for kids they never wanted, with a person that never liked."
"And end up alone because they don’t know how to treat women."
"Tale old as time."- kirloi8
"That goddamn broccoli head haircut."- dottmatrix
Happy Feeling Good GIF by BEARISH Giphy
"She’s probably not the one."
"Babies are expensive."
"Be clever and disciplined."
"Gossips gossip about you."
"Develop strong morals that you will fight for."
"Nothing gets easier you just get more resilient."
"Know the laws that apply to you and your rights."
"Fix things yourself and collect and maintain tools."
"Don’t be a d*ck."
"Don’t ask if someone needs help just help."
"Give your donations directly to the poor person."
"Watch your mouth."- Egg-of-the-Vulture
"Instant gratification is plaguing my generation."
"I'm Gen Z, and I think everything wrong with everyone who's not satisfied with where they're at in their life is just due to some sort of instant gratification, whether it's video games, drugs, alcohol, or other ways to instantly gratify oneself."- Cultural-Antelope-86
"Jacking the car up, then attempting to loosen lug nuts."- lovatone
Roadside Assistance Flat Tire GIF Giphy
Any man who claims he never made a mistake in his youth is almost guaranteed to be lying.
Nor should they feel any shame about it.
After all, we learn from making mistakes like these, and hopefully mature as a result.
Sivan, who turned 30 last year, addressed the incident in the debut post of his new Substack, originally titled “F**k this guy!!” before being renamed “feeling a bit uggo (ugly).”
The post responds to a now-deleted Instagram Reel and TikTok shared by an aesthetic doctor named Dr. Zayn, who claimed Sivan appeared “older” and suggested he was experiencing “twink death”—a term often used jokingly within queer culture to describe aging out of a youthful, slender archetype.
Opening with disarming honesty, Sivan wrote:
“I oscillate constantly between feeling like i’m aging in a good way, getting ‘sexier’ with time, and then feeling like gollum’s very close pop-singing relative. So decrepit, somehow both skinny and fat at the same time. I'm 30. I’ve struggled with my body image for a lot of my life, as i’m sure most people have.”
The video, which has since been removed, circulated widely before Sivan responded.
A screen recording was shared by Pop Crave:
The post struck a nerve not only because of its candor, but because it tapped into a growing tension between aging, beauty standards, and the cosmetic industry—pressures increasingly imposed long before middle age.
Calling out the logic behind that pressure, Sivan didn’t mince words:
“What good is money and modern medicine if not to fix all of these flaws that this random sicko f*cko plastic surgeon told me I have in an instagram reel?”
Throughout the Substack entry, Sivan described feeling caught between two competing responses to body scrutiny. The first is rooted in body acceptance, an outlook he says has guided him for years.
He explained that mindset clearly:
“I am body positive to my core and believe that every body is beautiful. I'm grateful for mine (and yours, sexy), and that it allows me to do all the things that I want to, free of pain and illness. It's also cool to age… I heard this piece of advice (anecdotally) from a person at the very top of the fashion world — ‘stay ugly’. i.e., don't f**k with your face. How cool!!”
That advice, he added, feels almost radical in an era where cosmetic sameness has become aspirational.
Imagining the alternative, Sivan wrote:
“When everyone else has the same nose and no wrinkles and no smile lines and filler that’s migrated all the way down to their necks, you’ll be so happy and chic and weathered and wise.”
The second response, he admitted, is far less healthy. Sivan detailed how the doctor’s video, amplified by social media algorithms, pushed him toward researching cosmetic procedures he hadn’t seriously considered before.
He described a consultation that would have cost $3,000 simply to explore transferring fat from his legs or abdomen to his under-eye area, along with being told he was in the “ideal window” to start baby Botox.
Detailing that internal spiral, he wrote:
“I guess if i'm backlit, or only show the half of my face where the volume loss under my eyes is less pronounced… and angle my phone up high above my head and look up sort of doe-eyed, I can kind of still look the same as I did 5 or 6 years ago. The cracks are starting to show though.”
The post ultimately widens into a broader reckoning with a culture that increasingly treats aging as a flaw to be corrected. That this scrutiny is now so casually applied to someone at 30 underscores how normalized it has become to publicly dissect appearance at any age.
Sivan framed it bluntly in his conclusion:
“I’m patient with myself, and understand and respect both approaches. It’s us vs species-endingly-insatiable corporate greed, with access to addictive brainwashing technology. Good luck!!!!”
The post quickly resonated online, with fans and fellow creatives praising Sivan for articulating the quiet anxieties around aging, visibility, and body scrutiny in the age of social media.
You can view the reactions below:
u/Murky_Chemical891/Reddit
u/amazinglyshook/Reddit
u/OriginalChildBomb/Reddit
u/Autopsyyturvy/Reddit
u/_iridessence_/Reddit
u/HallWild5495/Reddit
u/fandomnightmare/Reddit
u/SpecificBeyond2282/Reddit
u/DvorakThorax/Reddit
u/SeaRespond9836/Reddit
u/According-Garden-129/Reddit
He later updated the post to note that Dr. Zayn had reached out, removed the video, and apologized. Sivan said there were “no hard feelings” and changed the title accordingly.
Born in Johannesburg and raised in Perth, Sivan rose to prominence on YouTube during the early 2010s before transitioning into pop stardom. After coming out publicly in 2013, Sivan released his debut album Blue Neighbourhood in 2015, establishing himself as a defining voice for a generation of queer pop fans.
He has since released Bloom (2018) and Something to Give Each Other (2023), the latter earning Grammy nominations for its breakout single “Rush.” Later this year, Sivan will mark 10 years of Blue Neighbourhood with a reissue of the anniversary edition.
This milestone underscores the irony of being labeled “old” at 30 in an industry obsessed with perpetual youth. In calling out a stranger’s clinical critique of his face, Sivan exposed how quickly casual commentary can slide into something more corrosive.
Rather than buying naval oranges willy-nilly, TikToker @its.avelyn explains that her fellow TikToker's hack starts with the orange's "butthole," which is where the stem was originally attached to the fruit.
According to the hack, the TikToker explained:
"You don't want, like, a crevice, you know? Like, a big, wide... butthole cavity."
"You want... a little tight butthole."
While explaining this, she held up a navel orange that had a visible, round cavity where the stem had been, rather than a shallow break or small line where the stem was broken off. For people looking for sweet oranges, that's what they don't want.
As the TikToker notes:
"The tighter the butthole, the sweeter the orange."
She then showed an orange that was closed at both ends. While she could still tell where the stem had been, the area was totally closed and was only marked with an indent. Based on the hack, that should be a sweet orange.
She went on to explain.
"You want... a little tight butthole like that."
"This one is closed. This is a sweet orange."
You can watch the video here:
In a follow-up video, fellow TikTokers asked her to test this theory at home, and when she arrived home, she did just that.
In the video, she further explained the best way to cut the orange, making it ready to eat.
Most importantly, based on her taste buds, the hack totally worked.
TikToker @its.avelyn was grateful for the hack.
"I've never thought about a navel orange's butthole, but here we are, because I like them sweet."
"The smaller the butthole, the sweeter the orange... That's what I learned from the navel orange girl. And I just want to say, thank you, girl."
Fellow TikTokers were appreciative of the hack.
@its.avelyn/TikTok
@its.avelyn/TikTok
@its.avelyn/TikTok
@its.avelyn/TikTok
@its.avelyn/TikTok
@its.avelyn/TikTok
@its.avelyn/TikTok
@its.avelyn/TikTok
@its.avelyn/TikTok
@its.avelyn/TikTok
This is one of those things that can genuinely save a person time, frustration, and money, if they go into the store knowing exactly what they're looking for, and what they'll actually be spending their money on.
There's nothing quite like spending a lot of money on groceries, only to get home and realize the oranges you purchased were dehydrated, too tart, or plain-tasting. Now, we can skip right over that step.
