A federal judge in the United States has issued a temporary order preventing the removal of a five-year-old boy from Ecuador and his father following their recent arrest in Minnesota, which has stirred debate over immigration policies under the Trump administration. U.S. Judge Fred Biery ruled on Monday to halt any deportation or transfer of Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, while their case is ongoing.
A petition for their release was submitted over the weekend as numerous immigrant families protested outside the family detention facility in Dilley, Texas, where the father and son are being held. A photo of the young boy, clad in a hat and a Spider-Man backpack, has gained widespread attention on social media, eliciting strong reactions.
Representative Joaquin Castro described the boy as a symbol of the flaws in the immigration enforcement and detention systems in a Facebook video. He announced plans to visit the father and son at the Dilley Detention Center along with fellow Texas Democratic representative Jasmine Crockett.
Liam Ramos and Adrian Arias were apprehended outside their residence in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, with reports suggesting that immigration officers used the boy to lure his mother out of the house. The Department of Homeland Security has disputed this account, claiming that Arias fled on foot, leaving the child in a vehicle on their property.
The DHS has reiterated its version of events, denying that the child was targeted or arrested. Federal officials have stated that the father was in the country illegally, while the family’s lawyer asserts that he had a pending asylum claim. The child’s immigration status remains uncertain, which could have significant implications for his potential deportation along with his parents.
Ramos’s attorney, Jennifer Scarborough, has not responded to requests for comment on the court ruling. The DHS has not addressed the judge’s order in its statement. Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, revealed that the father entered the U.S. without proper documentation in December 2024. An online court record indicates an asylum claim was filed on December 17, 2024, and is being processed at the immigration court in Dilley.
The case highlights ongoing concerns over immigration policies and enforcement actions in the United States, particularly regarding the treatment of children and families in detention.
