US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers detained a 5-year-old boy on Tuesday during an enforcement operation, Minnesota school officials have said, as part of an immigration crackdown in the state.
Pre-schooler Liam Ramos was with his father - named by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias - when Conejo Arias was approached by agents on his driveway.
In a statement posted on X, the DHS said ICE did NOT target a child, but was conducting an operation against his father, an illegal alien who abandoned his son when approached.
Zena Stenvik, the Columbia Heights Public Schools superintendent, asked: Why detain a 5-year-old? and asserted that such actions are not justifiable, stating, You can't tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal.
Photos provided to the BBC by the school district show a boy, identified as Liam Ramos, wearing a bunny-shaped winter hat, standing outside as an officer holds onto his backpack. The Columbia Heights Public Schools authority described these as bystander photos, without revealing the identities of the individuals who captured them.
Marc Prokosch, a lawyer representing the family, mentioned that Liam and his father were likely being held at a detention centre in Texas. School officials noted that the father had an active asylum case with no deportation order. The son had just arrived home from pre-school at the time of the apprehension, Stenvik stated during a press conference on Wednesday.
Around the time of the incident, school officials were present at the Ramos house to provide support, according to the superintendent. Stenvik reported that ICE had recently detained other students in the district, including a 10-year-old and two 17-year-olds.
The DHS did not immediately respond to the BBC's request for comment on the incident. In its post on X, the DHS referred to the arrest as a targeted operation and assured that for the child's safety, an ICE officer remained with him while other officers apprehended Conejo Arias. It added that parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children to ensure their safety.
According to Stenvik, another adult living in the home did ask to take the young boy inside but was refused; it was unclear why. Instead, an agent requested the child to knock on the door of the home to see if anyone was there.
Columbia Heights Public Schools Board of Education Chair Mary Granlund stated, Our children should not be afraid to come to school or wait at the bus stop. Their families should not be afraid to drop off or pick up their children from school.
The DHS has previously asserted its mission of arresting the worst criminal illegal aliens to restore public safety in Minnesota. The operations have sparked outrage in areas around Minneapolis, especially after a federal officer fatally shot a woman named Renee Good in the city, causing widespread protests and condemnation from local and state officials.
Pre-schooler Liam Ramos was with his father - named by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias - when Conejo Arias was approached by agents on his driveway.
In a statement posted on X, the DHS said ICE did NOT target a child, but was conducting an operation against his father, an illegal alien who abandoned his son when approached.
Zena Stenvik, the Columbia Heights Public Schools superintendent, asked: Why detain a 5-year-old? and asserted that such actions are not justifiable, stating, You can't tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal.
Photos provided to the BBC by the school district show a boy, identified as Liam Ramos, wearing a bunny-shaped winter hat, standing outside as an officer holds onto his backpack. The Columbia Heights Public Schools authority described these as bystander photos, without revealing the identities of the individuals who captured them.
Marc Prokosch, a lawyer representing the family, mentioned that Liam and his father were likely being held at a detention centre in Texas. School officials noted that the father had an active asylum case with no deportation order. The son had just arrived home from pre-school at the time of the apprehension, Stenvik stated during a press conference on Wednesday.
Around the time of the incident, school officials were present at the Ramos house to provide support, according to the superintendent. Stenvik reported that ICE had recently detained other students in the district, including a 10-year-old and two 17-year-olds.
The DHS did not immediately respond to the BBC's request for comment on the incident. In its post on X, the DHS referred to the arrest as a targeted operation and assured that for the child's safety, an ICE officer remained with him while other officers apprehended Conejo Arias. It added that parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children to ensure their safety.
According to Stenvik, another adult living in the home did ask to take the young boy inside but was refused; it was unclear why. Instead, an agent requested the child to knock on the door of the home to see if anyone was there.
Columbia Heights Public Schools Board of Education Chair Mary Granlund stated, Our children should not be afraid to come to school or wait at the bus stop. Their families should not be afraid to drop off or pick up their children from school.
The DHS has previously asserted its mission of arresting the worst criminal illegal aliens to restore public safety in Minnesota. The operations have sparked outrage in areas around Minneapolis, especially after a federal officer fatally shot a woman named Renee Good in the city, causing widespread protests and condemnation from local and state officials.
