A federal judge ordered the release of a father and his five-year-old son on Saturday following their detention by immigration officers in Minnesota.
The boy, Liam Conejo Ramos, was recently seen in a viral photo wearing a blue bunny hat as federal agents waited outside his home. According to the Columbia Heights Public School District, Liam was one of four students detained earlier this month in a Minneapolis suburb.
Judge Criticizes Government Tactics
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery issued a strongly worded ruling on Saturday granting their release. He criticized the government’s push for deportation quotas, stating that the current methods are “ill-conceived” and needlessly traumatize children.
“Ultimately, Petitioners may… return to their home country,” Judge Biery wrote. “But that result should occur through a more orderly and humane policy than currently in place.”
Legal Status and Detention
Liam and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, are from Ecuador. Their attorney, Marc Prokosch, stated that they entered the United States legally as asylum applicants. Following the raid, authorities sent them to a family detention center in Dilley, Texas.
Judge Biery, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, used the order to condemn the Trump administration’s approach. He compared the tactics to those of the British King described in the Declaration of Independence, citing harassment by officers.
The judge also attacked the use of “administrative warrants,” which are issued by immigration officials rather than a judge. He described this practice as “the fox guarding the henhouse” and warned that such cruelty ignores the rule of law.
Other Students Detained
The school district superintendent confirmed that armed and masked officers detained three other students during the operation: a 10-year-old and two 17-year-olds.
Neither the Department of Homeland Security nor the family’s attorney immediately responded to requests for comment.
