We’re young children taken by ICE in Columbia heights mn and sent to Texas

1. What happened in Columbia Heights: reported facts

Columbia Heights Public Schools and multiple local outlets reported that federal agents detained at least four children linked to the school district over a two‑week span, naming a five‑year‑old boy, a 10‑year‑old girl and at least one teenager among those taken ^{[3] [2] [6]}. School officials say the five‑year‑old, identified as Liam Conejo Ramos, and his father were taken in the family driveway after school and subsequently transferred to a Texas detention center, where they remained by the end of the school day, according to district statements and local reporting ^{[1] [4] [5]}.

2. The “bait” allegation and what sources say

Columbia Heights district leaders and the family’s lawyer say ICE agents used the child as “bait” — bringing Liam to the front door to try to get other family members to answer — and that another adult outside asked to care for the child but was refused, per statements relayed in MPR and local TV reports ^{[3] [7]}. The family’s attorney has called the practice cruel and is exploring legal remedies, including filing habeas corpus petitions in Texas, according to reporting that quoted the lawyer ^{[8] [5]}.

3. Transfers to Texas and context about facilities

Multiple outlets reported that the detained children and some parents were transported to detention facilities in Texas by the end of the school day, with Columbia Heights officials explicitly saying the five‑year‑old and a 10‑year‑old were in Texas centers that have drawn criticism for conditions ^{[4] [9] [2]}. The reporting ties the transfers to broader concern among school and immigrant‑rights advocates about moving minors long distances into facilities outside their communities ^[9].

4. What’s confirmed by independent authorities (and what’s not)

While school district officials, family lawyers and local media have provided consistent accounts of the detentions and transfers, reporting indicates that local law enforcement may not have been notified in advance and that ICE or Department of Homeland Security formal statements were not detailed in the articles provided; one local chief said ICE typically does not communicate activity to police ^[5]. That gap means public, on‑the‑record confirmation from ICE about operational intent, legal basis for moving children to Texas, or detainee locations was not documented in the sourced coverage ^{[5] [2]}.

5. Legal and political fallout reported so far

Columbia Heights district leaders held a press conference decrying the tactics and citing active asylum paperwork for the family, and attorneys are pursuing emergency legal options for the child and father now in Texas, according to coverage that quoted school officials and the family’s counsel ^{[1] [8]}. Advocacy outlets and local media frame the incident within a spate of recent detentions in the district and wider debates over ICE practices involving families and minors ^{[9] [10]}.

6. Bottom line and limits of available reporting

Reporting from The Guardian, The Washington Post, MPR, local TV and other regional outlets consistently documents that children from Columbia Heights — including a five‑year‑old and a 10‑year‑old — were detained by ICE and that at least some were sent to Texas detention centers, and that school officials accuse agents of using a child as bait ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}. The available sources do not include a formal, detailed ICE statement in response to these specific allegations or public DHS documentation of the operational justification in these cases, which is a limitation of the current reporting ^{[5] [2]}.