ICE Detains 5-Year-Old Ships Him Off To Texas
A five-year-old preschooler is among four students from a single Minnesota school district detained by federal agents this month, a situation school officials have described as a “shattered” sense of safety for the community.
Liam Conejo Ramos, a student at Valley View Elementary, was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Tuesday afternoon, January 20, 2026. According to school officials and the family’s legal counsel, the boy and his father had just arrived home from preschool when they were apprehended in their driveway by masked agents.
Allegations of Using a Child as “Bait”
In a press conference held Wednesday, Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenvik leveled a disturbing allegation against the federal agents involved.
“Instead [of leaving the child with family], 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—essentially using a 5-year-old as bait,” Stenvik said.
Despite an adult family member at the home “begging” agents to let the child stay behind, Liam and his father were reportedly whisked away and flown to a detention facility in Texas within hours.
Family in “Active Asylum Case”
Marc Prokosch, the family’s immigration attorney, stated that Liam’s family is not in the country illegally in the traditional sense, but is currently following U.S. legal parameters with an active asylum case. He emphasized that there is no existing order of deportation for either the father or the son.
“The family did everything they had to do in accordance with the rules set out,” Prokosch said. “They are not criminals.”
A District Under “Siege”
The detention of Liam Ramos is part of a broader operation that local leaders are calling a “siege” on the Twin Cities. Superintendent Stenvik confirmed that four students from the Columbia Heights district have been detained in just two weeks:
- Liam Ramos (5): Detained Tuesday afternoon.
- Unnamed High Schooler (17): Detained Tuesday morning while driving to school; removed from their car by masked agents.
- Unnamed Girl (10): Detained two weeks ago while on her way to school with her mother.
- Unnamed Girl (17): Detained last week after agents reportedly “pushed their way” into her family’s apartment.
Federal and Local Response
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a statement claiming that agents “did not target” the child, but rather the father, who they allege is in the country illegally. DHS further claimed the father attempted to flee on foot and stated that parents are given the choice to have their children removed with them or placed with a “safe person.” DHS did not explicitly address the “bait” allegations regarding the five-year-old.
As news of the detentions spread, school districts across the Twin Cities, including St. Paul and Minneapolis, have begun offering virtual learning options for students who no longer feel safe traveling to school.
“Why detain a 5-year-old?” Stenvik asked at the conclusion of her address. “You cannot tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal.”
