What was the name of the 5-year-old boy detained by ICE agents in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, in January 2026?

In January 2026, a 5-year-old boy named Liam Ramos, also identified as Liam Conejo Ramos, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Columbia Heights, Minnesota. Liam, a PreK 4 student at Valley View Elementary, was taken into custody along with his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, as they were returning home from school. This incident drew significant attention and criticism, particularly from school officials in Columbia Heights who alleged that ICE agents used the young boy "as bait" to gain access to their home and potentially detain other family members.

The detention of Liam Ramos was not an isolated event but occurred amidst a surge in immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota during the Trump administration's second term. Reports indicated that Liam's family had an active asylum case and had entered the United States through an authorized port of entry, following the legal process. Despite these circumstances, Liam and his father were transported to a family detention facility in Dilley, Texas, a practice that lawyers and advocates criticized for removing detainees from Minnesota's court jurisdiction, thereby complicating their legal battles.

The events surrounding Liam's detention ignited widespread outrage and protests. Several other children from the same Columbia Heights school district were also detained by ICE agents around the same time, highlighting a broader concern about the impact of intensified immigration enforcement on families and minors. The rapid transfer of detained families out of state, sometimes against judicial orders, became a central point of contention, with critics arguing it undermined due process and caused significant distress to vulnerable individuals.