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Democrats and local officials in Minneapolis have voiced their outrage over the detention of a five-year-old boy amid a large-scale immigration crackdown, while Vice President JD Vance defended the actions of federal agents.
A significant number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel have been sent to the city, which is governed by Democrats, as the Trump administration intensifies its efforts to deport millions of undocumented immigrants nationwide.
Vance confirmed on Thursday that Liam Conejo Ramos, the five-year-old boy, was among those detained. He claimed the agents were acting to protect the child after his father “fled” during an immigration operation.
“What are they supposed to do? Allow a five-year-old to freeze in the cold?” Vance questioned.
Joaquin Castro, a Democratic congressman from Texas, pushed back on that rationale, calling Homeland Security officials “disgusting liars.” Castro said he had been unable to locate the boy, who is reportedly being held with his father in San Antonio, Texas.
“My team and I are working to find out where he is, ensure he’s safe, and demand ICE release him,” Castro stated in a video on X. “But ICE hasn’t provided us with any information.”
Former Vice President Kamala Harris expressed her outrage at Ramos’s detention.
“Liam is just a child. He should be at home with his family, not used as bait by ICE and detained in Texas,” Harris wrote on X. She also shared a photo of the child wearing a blue knitted hat with white rabbit ears, while someone behind him appears to hold his backpack.
Another image circulated online shows Ramos being escorted by a man dressed in black, covering his face.
Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state, accused law enforcement agencies of “terrorizing communities” and “using children as pawns.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey criticized the federal government for treating children “like criminals.” He said the deployment of approximately 3,000 federal agents felt more like an “occupation,” according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
The Department of Homeland Security denied targeting the child, stating he was “abandoned” by his father during the operation to arrest him.
“For the child’s safety, one ICE officer stayed with him while others apprehended his father, Conejo Arias,” the department posted on X. “Parents are given options—either they can be removed with their children, or ICE will place the children with a safe person designated by the parent.”
Ramos is among at least four children who have been detained within the Minneapolis school district this month, according to local officials, citing reports from U.S. media.
Zena Stenvik, superintendent of Columbia Heights Public Schools, said the kids were “taken away by masked, armed ICE agents with no identification badges.” She added that this influx of ICE activity is causing trauma and taking a toll on the children.
The children’s detention comes amid new arrests announced by the U.S. Attorney General of three activists accused of protesting during a church service, accusing a pastor of working for ICE.
Videos show dozens of protesters chanting “ICE out!” inside the church.
Tensions in Minneapolis have escalated since federal agents shot and killed citizen Renee Good on January 7. The officer involved, Jonathan Ross, has not been suspended or charged, and officials from the Trump administration quickly defended his actions as justified self-defense.
Ramos’s attorney, Marc Prokosch, said the boy and his father are not U.S. citizens and had been following legal procedures by applying for asylum in Minneapolis, a sanctuary city that does not cooperate with federal immigration raids.
Vance argued that such local policies hinder ICE’s efforts.
“Non-cooperation from state and local authorities makes our job harder and raises the stakes,” Vance remarked.
Minnesota has filed for a temporary restraining order against the ICE operations, which, if approved by a federal judge, could halt the sweeps. A hearing is scheduled for Monday.
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