Minnesota officials, Trump administration offer very different takes on ICE's detainment of boy, 5
School district says child was used as 'bait,' but Homeland Security denies he was a target
As was the case after the death of Renee Good, Minnesota officials and the Trump administration have very different views on how and why a five-year-old boy was detained by immigration enforcement in a Minneapolis suburb on Tuesday.
School district officials, the family's lawyer and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey all condemned U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents for detaining Liam Conejo Ramos in the driveway of his Columbia Heights, Minn., home after returning from preschool.
Federal officials — including U.S. Vice-President JD Vance — said the boy wasn't a target but was caught up in the arrest of his father, who they described as an "illegal alien."
Here's a broader look at the differing views of how the arrest of Liam and his father went down.
Preschooler used 'as bait,' school officials say
In a statement Thursday in which details of the arrest came to light, the superintendent of Columbia Heights Public Schools said Liam was essentially used "as bait" by ICE agents before he was detained alongside his father.
"Another adult living in the home was outside and begged the agents to let them take care of the small child, but was refused," Zena Stenvik said.
"Instead, the agent took the child out of the still-running vehicle, led him to the door, and directed him to knock on the door, asking to be let in, in order to see if anyone else was home."
At a news conference Thursday evening, Stenvik and school board chair Mary Granlund offered more details about what they said they witnessed, with both women describing a fluid situation at the Columbia Heights home, where people were yelling and speaking over each other.
Granlund said she witnessed the arrest of Liam and his father on Tuesday while picking up her own children from school.
Granlund said offered to take the child, but cannot recall what agents said back to her.
"There was ample opportunity to be able to safely hand that child off to adults. Mom was there," Granlund said.
Stenvik said she was inside the home to support the mother, who she said was "distraught." She said she did not see the father try to escape, but saw him handcuffed in the driveway.
Vance, ICE say child detained for safety
In a written statement Thursday, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin told CBC News that ICE did not target the five-year-old boy, but instead were there to arrest his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, who she described as an "illegal alien from Ecuador."
McLaughlin said ICE officers remained with the preschooler because his father fled on foot and abandoned him.
"For the child's safety, one of our ICE officers remained with the child while the other officers apprehended Conejo Arias," McLaughlin said.
The statement did not say what happened to Liam after the arrest, but the family’s lawyer Marc Prokosch said Thursday that the boy and his father were being held at an immigration processing centre in Dilley, Texas.
Speaking during a visit to Minneapolis on Thursday, Vance backed up the DHS version of events, saying ICE agents had no choice but to detain the preschooler.
"I see this story — and I'm a father of a five-year-old, actually, a five-year-old little boy — and I think, 'Oh my god, this is terrible. How did we arrest a five-year-old?'" Vance said.
"I did follow-up research. What I find is the five-year-old was not arrested. His dad was an illegal alien and when they went to arrest his illegal father, the father ran."
Vance also denied the boy was "arrested" but instead suggested ICE agents were trying to keep him safe.
"What are they supposed to do? Let a five-year-old child freeze to death? Not arrest an illegal alien?"
Lawyer disputes 'illegal alien' claim
Speaking alongside school officials Thursday evening, the family's lawyer pushed back against the characterization of Liam's father as an "illegal alien", saying both father and son entered the U.S. legally in 2024 and applied for asylum.
"These are not illegal aliens," Prokosch said Thursday. "They came legally and are pursuing a legal pathway."
The lawyer declined to provide more details on their asylum request, and also declined to say whether Liam's mother is a U.S. citizen.
He said he could not find any criminal records for the father in the Minnesota database.
In terms of next steps in his clients' defence, Prokosch said he has not filed a habeas corpus petition — a request for a court to review the lawfulness of a detention — but added, "that's part of our legal strategy."
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With files from Natalie Stechyson, Rhianna Schmunk and Mike Crawley