A federal judge has temporarily halted the deportation of a 5-year-old boy and his father after ICE agents detained them in Minnesota, sparking a national firestorm over enforcement tactics that critics claim exploited a young child to apprehend an illegal immigrant.
Story Snapshot
- U.S. District Judge Fred Biery issued a temporary restraining order blocking ICE from deporting or transferring 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, from Texas
- ICE detained the pair on January 20 during what DHS calls its largest enforcement operation in history, but conflicting accounts emerged about whether agents used the child as “bait”
- The father and son remain separated from family in Minnesota while detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas with pending asylum cases
- Viral photographs of the preschooler wearing a bunny hat during his arrest ignited widespread outrage and intensified debate over immigration enforcement methods
Judicial Intervention Halts Enforcement Action
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery issued a temporary restraining order on January 27 prohibiting federal immigration officials from deporting or transferring Liam Conejo Ramos and his father Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias from the Western District of Texas during ongoing litigation. The order explicitly prevents any movement of the detained pair outside the judicial district until further court action.
This judicial intervention represents a significant check on executive enforcement authority, temporarily restraining ICE’s deportation powers while legal proceedings continue. The father and son currently remain at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, a Texas facility designed to house immigrant families accused of violating federal immigration law.
A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily barred federal immigration officials from deporting 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father or transferring them away from the Texas region where they're currently held.
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 27, 2026
Competing Narratives Over Arrest Tactics
The circumstances surrounding the January 20 arrest have generated sharply conflicting accounts between family advocates and federal authorities. Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenvik stated that ICE used the child as “bait,” walking him to the family’s front door to have him knock and ask to be let in after the father was detained.
Family representatives claim the family is legally pursuing asylum, has appeared for court hearings, and posed no safety threat. DHS officials tell a different story, asserting that officers targeted only the father and that Adrian Conejo Arias abandoned his son by fleeing on foot in winter weather, forcing officers to care for the boy.
Federal Enforcement Context and Family Status
The detention occurred during the Trump administration’s expanded immigration enforcement operations, with thousands of federal agents deployed to the Minneapolis area as part of what DHS characterized as the largest operation in department history.
Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias is an Ecuadorian immigrant living in the United States without legal authorization, though the family has pending immigration court cases that have not been fully adjudicated.
According to DHS, Conejo Arias declined an opportunity to utilize voluntary return to leave the United States with no immigration consequences. The arrest separated the father and son from Liam’s mother and older brother, who remain in Minnesota while the detained pair stays in Texas.
Viral Images Fuel National Controversy
Photographs of 5-year-old Liam wearing a blue bunny hat during his arrest spread virally between January 20 and 27, generating intense national attention and public outcry. The child was a preschool student at Columbia Heights Public Schools in Minnesota when ICE agents detained him as he arrived home from school with his father in the family’s driveway.
Pastor Sergio Amezcua reported that Liam’s mother “was terrified” when ICE agents attempted to use the child to draw her out of the house, with neighbors advising against compliance.
DHS maintains that officers attempted to return the child to his mother but she refused to open the door, prompting agents to take him to a restaurant while caring for him. The viral imagery has intensified partisan debate over immigration enforcement methods and child welfare concerns.
The fundamental question at the heart of this case remains unresolved: whether ICE conducted a legitimate enforcement operation complicated by a father’s decision to flee, or whether federal agents improperly exploited a kindergarten-age child to apprehend his father.
Judge Biery’s restraining order ensures this question will be examined through proper judicial channels rather than resolved through immediate deportation. The case highlights the tension between the administration’s commitment to enforcing immigration law and concerns about operational tactics when children are involved.
As legal proceedings continue, the outcome may establish important precedent regarding judicial oversight of ICE operations involving minors and families with pending asylum claims.
Sources:
Judge blocks deportation of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, his father – Fox 9
Judge blocks removal of 5-year-old detained by ICE in Minnesota – ABC News
