Minneapolis has become the epicenter of a heated national debate following the controversial detention of a five-year-old asylum seeker during extensive Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. Liam Conejo Ramos and his Ecuadorian father, Adrian Conejo Arias, were apprehended outside their home in Columbia Heights, triggering widespread condemnation and protests across the city.
According to school superintendent Zena Stenvik, the child was allegedly used as ‘bait’ by federal agents to lure other family members from their residence—an accusation that ICE officials vehemently deny. Instead, Commander Marcos Charles asserted that officers acted to protect the child after his father allegedly fled from authorities, leaving the boy unattended. ‘My officers did everything they could to reunite him with his family,’ Charles stated during a Friday press briefing.
The incident has ignited fierce political responses. Vice President JD Vance defended the operation, questioning whether agents should have ‘let a five-year-old child freeze to death’ rather than intervene. Conversely, Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro has demanded the child’s immediate release and condemned the administration’s approach to immigration enforcement.
Community reaction has been substantial, with hundreds of local businesses closing their doors in protest and organized demonstrations occurring throughout Minneapolis. The anti-Trump organization Indivisible Twin Cities called for a statewide day of action under the motto ‘No work. No school. No shopping,’ culminating in a major march through the city center.
This case occurs within the broader context of intensified ICE operations in Democratic-led cities and follows the recent fatal shooting of US citizen Renee Good by federal agents on January 7. Minnesota authorities are seeking a temporary restraining order to halt the immigration sweeps, with a federal court hearing scheduled for Monday.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris joined the chorus of criticism, describing herself as ‘outraged’ by the detention of what she called ‘just a baby.’ The United Nations human rights chief, Volker Turk, additionally urged American officials to cease the ‘dehumanizing portrayal and harmful treatment of migrants and refugees.’
Legal representatives for the Ramos family maintain that they followed proper asylum procedures in Minneapolis, which holds sanctuary city status limiting police cooperation with federal immigration authorities.