US immigration agents detain 5-year-old in Minnesota, sparking outrage
The detention of a 5-year-old boy by US federal immigration agents has sparked widespread anger in the Minneapolis area after the child was taken into custody with his father earlier this week, according to school officials.
The incident is one of four recent cases involving students apprehended in a suburban Minneapolis school district, News.Az reports, citing The New York Times.
The prekindergarten student, identified as Liam Conejo Ramos, was wearing a Spider-Man backpack and an oversized hat when he was detained on Tuesday.
A photograph released by the school system shows the boy standing next to a vehicle with an adult’s hand resting on his backpack, while his father is not visible in the image. The photo quickly drew strong reactions across the Twin Cities, where public frustration has been growing since mid-December amid an increase in deportation operations under the Trump administration.
“Why detain a 5-year-old?” asked Zena Stenvik, superintendent of schools in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, during a news conference on Wednesday addressing the incident.
Details surrounding the arrest, which took place on a snow-covered residential street in Columbia Heights, remain contested. School district officials and federal authorities have provided differing accounts of what occurred during the detention.
According to Marc Prokosch, an attorney assisting the family, Liam and his father were transported to Dilley, Texas, near San Antonio, where they are currently being held at an immigration detention center. Prokosch said the father and son arrived in the United States from Ecuador in 2024 and both have active asylum claims pending.
By Nijat Babayev
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