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Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos has safely returned to a suburb of Minneapolis after being held at a detention center in Texas, according to a lawmaker. On Saturday, a federal judge ordered the release of Liam and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, who had been detained during a raid in Minnesota. Texas Democrat Joaquin Castro picked them up from the detention facility on Saturday night and accompanied them back to Minnesota on Sunday. Castro shared, “Liam is now home, with his hat and backpack. We won’t stop until all children and families are reunited.”
A viral photo last month showed Liam sporting a blue bunny hat outside his house, with federal agents nearby. The boy, one of four students detained by immigration authorities in a Minneapolis suburb, had entered the U.S. legally seeking asylum. He and his father had been held at a detention center in Dilley, Texas.
Judge Fred Biery, an appointee of former President Clinton, criticized the government’s deportation practices, calling them “ill-conceived and incompetently executed,” and highlighted the trauma inflicted on children. He pointed out that an arrest warrant should be based on probable cause determined by a judge, warning against the use of “administrative warrants” issued by immigration officials, which he described as “the fox guarding the henhouse.”
Democratic officials are calling for reforms, especially after recent ICE enforcement operations and two deadly shootings involving agents in Minneapolis. Proposed changes include requiring officers to wear body cameras, ending patrols that roam neighborhoods, and stopping the use of face masks during operations. Meanwhile, budget talks for the Department of Homeland Security are ongoing, with negotiations over funding stalling between Republicans and Democrats. President Trump indicated plans to discuss the matter soon at Mar-a-Lago.
Some city mayors, including Oklahoma City’s, see the need for immigration reform too. Mayor David Holt expressed cautious optimism, noting that the city’s relationship with federal immigration authorities is strained. He explained that recent events in Minneapolis threaten trust built over time with local residents. Holt made his remarks after Trump ordered DHS to avoid engaging with protesters unless federal property is at risk or asked to intervene by local officials.
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