COLUMBIA HEIGHTS, Minn. — A federal immigration enforcement action that resulted in the detention of a 5-year-old Minnesota boy has triggered national debate, widespread protests and rare public defenses from top administration officials, even as critics say the tactic used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents traumatized families and violated basic standards of decency.
The Columbia Heights Public School District reports that federal agents have detained four students in four separate incidents over the past several weeks, an escalation that educators say has contributed to a climate of fear and rapidly rising student absenteeism.
Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, who attends a district elementary school, was apprehended by ICE agents Tuesday in his driveway as he returned home from school with his father, according to school officials and witnesses.
“Another adult living in the home was outside and begged the agents to let him take care of the small child, and was refused,” Columbia Heights Superintendent Zena Stenvik said at a news conference. “Instead, the agent took the child out of the still-running car, led him to the door, and directed him to knock on the door asking to be let in to see if anyone else was home, essentially using a 5-year-old as bait.”
The Conejo family had an active asylum case and no deportation order at the time of the incident, according to Minnesota Public Radio and local reports. The family entered the United States legally through a port of entry in 2024, their attorney said.
Despite that, Liam and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, were separated from other family members and transported to a family detention facility in Texas, where they remain detained while the asylum process continues.
“It’s inhumane and unacceptable to take a 5-year-old and lead him to knock on a door in subzero conditions,” said attorney Marc Prokosch, who is representing the Conejo family. “Just because the law may allow certain actions doesn’t mean they are right. This will likely lead to a habeas corpus petition.”
Stenvik said nearly one-third of students in her district have stayed home in recent weeks out of fear. Across Columbia Heights and several other Twin Cities districts, absenteeism has surged between 20% and 40% in the past two weeks amid reports of ICE agents following school buses, entering neighborhoods and detaining minors.
“ICE agents have been roaming our neighborhoods, circling our schools, following our buses, coming into our parking lots and taking our children,” Stenvik said.
The controversy has transcended local reaction and entered the national political arena. On Jan. 22, Vice President J.D. Vance, speaking in Minneapolis amid protests and heightened tensions, defended the agency’s actions. Vance acknowledged the story’s emotional impact and said federal immigration laws must be enforced even when circumstances are difficult.
“I understand why people are upset. I have a 5-year-old myself,” Vance said. “But the fact remains: law enforcement has to enforce the laws that Congress has passed. If the argument is that you can’t arrest people who have violated our laws because they have children, then every single parent is going to be completely given immunity.”
Asked why agents did not entrust the child to an adult who offered to care for him, Vance said ICE officers acted in what they believed was the child’s best interest under challenging circumstances. “Well, what are they supposed to do? Are they supposed to let a 5-year-old freeze to death?” Vance asked during a press briefing.
Vance and other administration officials also sought to shift responsibility to local leaders for not better cooperating with federal enforcement efforts, saying that more coordinated action could reduce tensions and avoid such confrontations.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, released statements asserting that agents did not target the child and acted to safeguard him after his father fled during a targeted arrest operation, emphasizing that agents attempted to reunite Liam with family. DHS officials have repeated that agents acted appropriately and humanely, though the family and witnesses dispute the official account.
“ICE does not target children,” stated a DHS spokesperson. “Our agents prioritized the welfare of the child and followed established procedures.”
Critics have dismissed those defenses, calling the actions cruel, unnecessary and indicative of broader problems with immigration enforcement protocols. Civil liberties organizations have highlighted longstanding concerns about family separation, due process and the conditions of immigration detention centers.
“This is part of a disturbing trend where children are treated as leverage in enforcement actions,” said a spokesperson for a national immigrant rights coalition. “We should be outraged that a government agency would use a child in this way.”
The debate erupted into large-scale protests across Minnesota, including what organizers called a “Day of Truth & Freedom,” a general strike that saw tens of thousands of residents join labor unions, religious leaders and community activists in a coordinated statewide action against ICE operations.
Protesters have demanded the suspension of ICE operations in Minnesota, removal of federal agents from neighborhoods, accountability for recent enforcement tactics and investigations into alleged human rights violations. Demonstrators braved subzero weather in Minneapolis and St. Paul, shutting down businesses and calling for political and legal remedies.
Minnesota officials have also pushed back against federal enforcement. Governor Tim Walz described the large deployment of ICE agents as destabilizing and called for transparency and accountability in federal actions. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey echoed those calls, urging peaceful protest and legal recourse while highlighting concerns over racial profiling and public safety.
Adding to community unease are reports of other controversial immigration enforcement incidents in the state, including the detainment of a 2-year-old girl and protests that have seen clashes between demonstrators and federal agents.
Local educators, parents and advocates argue that the presence of armed federal agents near schools undermines trust, disrupts education and threatens the wellbeing of children. “Students are afraid to go to class,” Stenvik said. “Learning should not be overshadowed by fear of detention.”
In response to the escalation, Minneapolis and St. Paul school districts temporarily canceled in-person classes to give teachers time to transition to virtual instruction, and neighboring districts are under pressure to adopt similar measures to ensure student safety.
National lawmakers have weighed in as well. California Representative John Garamendi called for the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, saying the agency had lost its way and needed to be held accountable for perceived abuses.
As the debate unfolds, both sides frame the issue in starkly different terms. Supporters of strict enforcement argue that upholding the rule of law is essential to national sovereignty, while critics say the methods used — particularly when they involve children — are morally indefensible and counterproductive.
The Conejo family’s case remains at the center of the controversy. Their attorney continues to pursue legal avenues, including potential habeas corpus action, to secure the release of Liam and his father. The family’s plight has galvanized activists and legal advocates nationwide, adding urgency to calls for policy reform.
The incident has intensified scrutiny of ICE’s role and the boundaries of immigration enforcement in the United States, raising questions about how far federal agencies should go in enforcing laws when community trust and human dignity are at stake.
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