By Micah Jonah
January 23, 2026
United States immigration officers have detained a five year old boy in Minnesota after allegedly using him to lure out his father who is seeking asylum in the country, sparking outrage from school authorities and human rights advocates.
Officials of Columbia Heights Public Schools said federal agents took the child, identified as Liam Conejo Ramos, from a running vehicle in his family driveway shortly after he returned from preschool on Tuesday afternoon.
According to the school district superintendent, Zena Stenvik, the officers then instructed the child to knock on the door of his home in an attempt to determine if other family members were inside, a move she described as using a child as bait.
Stenvik said the family arrived in the United States in 2024 and currently has an active asylum case, adding that they had not been ordered to leave the country. She questioned why a child of that age would be detained during an enforcement operation.
The United States Department of Homeland Security has denied targeting the child, stating that officers were attempting to arrest the father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, who is from Ecuador. The agency said one officer stayed with the child while others apprehended the father and that parents are given the option to remain with their children or place them with a trusted person.
School officials revealed that Liam is the fourth student from the district detained by immigration officers in recent weeks, including a seventeen year old taken while heading to school and two other minors aged ten and seventeen.
The family lawyer, Marc Prokosch, confirmed that both the child and his father were transferred to an immigration detention facility in Dilley, Texas, where they are believed to be held together in a family unit. He said legal steps are being explored to secure their release.
Human rights lawyers who recently visited the detention centre reported worsening conditions, with many children held for long periods, suffering from illness, poor nutrition and emotional distress caused by prolonged confinement.
During a visit to Minneapolis, United States Vice President JD Vance said he was aware of the case but questioned what alternative actions officers could have taken, noting that immigration laws must still be enforced.
Federal authorities say about three thousand people have been arrested in immigration raids across Minnesota in recent weeks, although immigration advocates say they cannot independently verify the figures or the government descriptions of those detained.
The incident has intensified national debate over immigration enforcement methods, especially the involvement of children, as civil rights groups warn that aggressive tactics are pushing communities into fear and instability.
