ICE Detains Minnesota Boy, 5, After School as District Officials Accuse Agents of Using Child as 'Bait' To Lure Family Members Out of Home
ICE agents detained a five-year-old boy in Minnesota, leading to nationwide outrage.
Jan. 22 2026, Published 2:02 p.m. ET
Minnesota school district officials have accused ICE agents of using a five-year-old boy they detained as "bait" to lure more family members out of a house, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The preschooler, who has been identified as Liam Conejo Ramos, and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, were said to be detained by ICE agents in their driveway after returning from school pick-up on Tuesday, January 20.
Photos of the child being detained by ICE sparked backlash on social media.
While tensions over Donald Trump's anti-immigration policies have simmered for months, tensions hit a fever pitch after ICE agent Jonathan Ross was captured on video fatally shooting 37-year-old mother-of-three Renee Nicole Good in early January.
Nationwide protests broke out over Good's death as the Department of Homeland Security alleged she "attacked" agents and "weaponized" her car, despite video evidence seemingly capturing Good attempting to drive away from the agent.
Amid ongoing protests and chaos in Minnesota, shocking photos of Liam being detained by ICE agents while wearing a blue knit bunny hat, complete with floppy ears, and a tiny backpack sparked a firestorm on social media.
Meanwhile, Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota and recently insisted ICE was only targeting the most dangerous and violent criminals.
School District Condemns ICE
Trump recently claimed ICE was only targeting violent criminals.
"Why detain a 5-year-old?" asked Zena Stenvik, superintendent of the Columbia Heights Public Schools district. "You cannot tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal."
According to a statement from Columbia Heights Public Schools, after Liam was detained, ICE agents made him knock on the door of the home to see if anyone else was inside, effectively "using a 5-year-old as bait."
Columbia Heights Public Schools further claimed an adult who was outside of the home at the time "begged the agents" to leave Liam with them but was denied.
Nationwide anti-ICE protests broke out following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.
The Department of Homeland Security presented a conflicting narrative of Liam's detention.
DHS reportedly alleged Liam's father fled on foot when agents approached them, and "for the child’s safety, one of our ICE officers remained with the child while the other officers apprehended Conejo Arias."
They insisted Liam was not a target and claimed ICE policy is to ask parents if they prefer their children be detained alongside them or allow ICE to place them with a designated "safe person."
Liam's family's lawyer, Marc Prokosch, said Liam and his dad are now in custody in San Antonio.
Prokosch noted while the child and father are not U.S. citizens, the family "have been following the legal process perfectly, from presenting themselves at the border to applying for asylum and waiting for the process to go through."
The preschooler's teachers spoke about the impact of Liam missing from her classroom at an emotional press conference.
Educator Ella Sullivan described Liam as a "bright young student."
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
"He's very friendly. He comes into class every day, and he just brightens the room," Sullivan said at the news conference. "His friends haven't asked about him yet, but I know that they'll catch on."
The school district said several other students have been taken by ICE in recent weeks. Mary Granlund, the chair of the Columbia Heights Public Schools board of education, described feeling helpless as students and their families are being ripped from their community.
"I have spent the last few weeks trying to make sure that our students and staff and families and everybody in our community are safe," Granlund said. "I saw the power of community. But at the end of the day, we have whistles and they have guns."
