A federal judge has issued a temporary order prohibiting the removal of a 5-year-old Ecuadorian boy and his father who were detained last week in Minnesota in an incident that further inflamed divisions on immigration under the Trump administration.
US Judge Fred Biery ruled on Tuesday that any removal or transfer of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, is on hold while a court case proceeds.
A petition seeking their release was filed Sunday as dozens of immigrant families protested behind the fences of the family detention facility where the father and son are detained in Dilley, Texas, near San Antonio.
A photo of the boy wearing a beanie and a Spiderman backpack has circulated widely on social media, sparking strong reactions.
“He has become emblematic of the monstrosity of the ICE system and the detention system,” US Representative Joaquin Castro said in a Facebook video. He used the post to announce that he and fellow Texas Democratic, US Representative Jasmine Crockett, would visit the father and son on Thursday at the Dilley Detention Centre.
Castro added that it was "inhumane to be keeping young kids like that in that place". Advocates say conditions inside the centre include constant illness and insufficient medical access.
The boy and his father were taken into custody last week outside their home in Minnesota. Neighbours and school officials say that federal immigration officers used the preschooler as "bait" by telling him to knock on the door to his house so that his mother would answer.
The Department of Homeland Security has called that description of events an "abject lie". It said the father fled on foot and left the boy in a running vehicle in their driveway.
Ramos’ attorney, Jennifer Scarborough, didn’t immediately respond to phone or email messages from The Associated Press seeking comment. The Department of Homeland Security sent a response only reiterating their version of events, insisting they did not arrest or target the child. Their statement did not address the judge’s court order.
Federal officials have said the father was in the US illegally, without offering details. Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, said the man entered the country in December 2024.
The family’s attorney said he had a pending asylum claim allowing him to stay in the country.
An online court summary shows the case was filed on December 17, 2024, and is assigned to the immigration court inside the Dilley detention centre.
The child’s immigration status may be a critical factor, and it is unclear if the 5-year-old was legally in the United States. If he wasn’t, he may be subject to deportation with one or both parents.
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