Did ice detain a five year old boy in Minneapolis

1. What happened on the ground: schools, witnesses and a viral photo

School officials in Columbia Heights and multiple local witnesses said the five‑year‑old returned from preschool, sat in the driveway with his father, and federal agents then took the child and the father into custody, a scene captured in photographs and widely shared online; school district leaders said the boy was one of four students in recent weeks detained by ICE in the district ^{[6] [4] [3] [7]}.

2. Where the child and father were taken and their legal status

Attorneys for the family and reporting from Reuters, The New York Times and CBS News state the child and his father were transported to a family detention facility in Dilley (San Antonio area) or a Texas detention center — records and legal filings cited by CBS show the boy has an active immigration case and therefore cannot yet be legally deported ^{[1] [2] [8]}.

3. Conflicting official narratives and ICE’s defense

ICE officials have pushed back, saying the agency targeted the father and did not “target a child,” and ICE leadership has described attempts to reunite the boy with someone inside the home; ICE’s public statements and an ICE enforcement official characterized some media narratives as false and said officers remained with the child for safety while other agents made the arrest ^{[5] [9] [4]}.

4. Political and community fallout: outrage, defenses, and high‑profile visits

The photograph and accounts prompted sharp criticism from local leaders and the governor, who called the action harmful to children, while national political figures including Vice‑President JD Vance publicly defended ICE’s conduct and framed the episode within enforcement priorities — the incident has intensified protests and debate in Minneapolis following other recent enforcement tensions ^{[3] [10] [11]}.

5. Legal follow‑up and reporting on motives and tactics

The family’s lawyer has challenged the government narrative and pursued habeas and other legal avenues to secure release and clarity; school officials and local board members accused agents of using the child as “bait” to draw family members from a home, an assertion reported by MPR and PBS alongside the family’s attorney statements, while ICE counters focus on operational necessity when a parent fled ^{[7] [4] [9]}.

6. What reporting does—and does not—establish

Contemporaneous coverage consistently reports that a five‑year‑old was detained alongside his father and moved to a Texas detention facility ^{[1] [2] [3]}, and government records reviewed by CBS show the child’s immigration case is active ^[8]; however, sources differ on operational details (for example, whether family members inside refused to accept the child, or whether the father fled), and ICE’s official rebuttals create factual disputes that court filings and further agency disclosures may resolve ^{[9] [4] [1]}.

7. Bottom line—did ICE detain a five‑year‑old in Minneapolis?

Yes: multiple independent outlets and local officials report that ICE agents detained a five‑year‑old boy in the Columbia Heights/Minneapolis area during an enforcement action and that the child and his father were subsequently held in a Texas family detention center; some facts about how and why remain contested between ICE’s account and the family, school officials and their attorney ^{[6] [1] [2] [8]}.