Five-Year-Old Boy Detained During Immigration Enforcement in Minnesota Sparks Fierce Controversy

Washington D.C. The detention of a five-year-old boy and his father during immigration enforcement action in the US state of Minnesota has ignited intense controversy. According to local school officials and the family's lawyer, agents from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took five-year-old Liam Ramos, who attends pre-school, into custody along with his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, on Tuesday.

Liam was in the driveway with his father at the time of the incident. In a statement released by the Department of Homeland Security, ICE claimed that the agency did not target the child and that the action was taken against his father. According to the department, Conejo Arias is an undocumented immigrant, and he allegedly fled, leaving his son behind as agents approached.

However, Jenna Stenvik, Superintendent of Columbia Heights Public Schools, questioned the action, asking, "Why take a five-year-old child into custody? How can we say this child is some kind of violent criminal?" Meanwhile, ICE claimed via the social media platform X that the child was not arrested. According to the agency, the child was kept safe in the cold weather and attempts were made to hand him over to his family.

In a photo made available to the BBC, Liam, wearing a rabbit-shaped hat, is seen standing next to an officer. This incident has reignited a debate in the United States regarding immigration policy and children's rights.