Liam Conejo Ramos
Executive summary
A five‑year‑old, Liam Conejo Ramos, and his father were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Columbia Heights, Minnesota on January 20, 2026, a photo of the boy in a blue hat and Spider‑Man backpack went viral, and the case has prompted legal stays, congressional visits and widespread public outcry [1][2][3]. Reports from the family, school officials, lawmakers and ICE disagree about whether Liam was “targeted” or was left with agents after his father fled, while his family and visitors say he has been sick and emotionally withdrawn in the Dilley, Texas detention facility [4][5][6].
1. The scene in Columbia Heights: how Liam came to national attention
School and district officials say ICE agents intercepted Liam as he returned from preschool and that an agent asked the child to knock on the family’s door while agents sought to enter, a moment captured in photographs that quickly circulated nationwide and abroad [2][1]. Columbia Heights Public Schools officials and witnesses told reporters that another adult on site offered to take Liam inside but was refused, and school leaders framed the image as emblematic of the reach of recent enforcement operations [2][1].
2. Conflicting official accounts: abandonment vs. custody
The Department of Homeland Security and ICE described the operation as a targeted arrest of Liam’s father and said the father fled and “abandoned” the child, requiring agents to take custody of Liam [7][4]. The family’s lawyer and school officials dispute that narrative, saying the family had an active asylum claim and that multiple adults were available to care for Liam but were not permitted to take him, which critics say undercuts the government’s portrayal [1][4].
3. Detention, relocation and reported health problems
After the Minneapolis detention, Liam and his father were transferred to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, where family members, a visiting congressman and school leaders have said the boy has been ill—reportedly vomiting, running a fever, refusing food and appearing listless or depressed—claims repeated in multiple outlets and by the child’s mother and visitors [8][5][6]. The family has attributed some symptoms to the quality of food and conditions in custody; ICE and DHS have not corroborated those specific health allegations in the cited reporting [5][4].
4. Legal pause and political responses
A federal judge issued a temporary stay blocking deportation or transfer out of the judicial district while legal challenges move forward, keeping Liam and his father in the Western District of Texas for now, and Democratic lawmakers have visited the pair and called for their immediate release [9][3][10]. Media accounts note the case became a touchstone in debates over enforcement near schools and family detention policy, prompting protests and symbolic displays of solidarity in the boy’s Minnesota district [3][1].
5. Symbolism, media framing and partisan lines
The photograph of a small boy in a bunny‑ear hat became an international symbol of the human face of immigration enforcement and drew varied framing: advocacy outlets and local officials emphasize the family’s asylum claims and the child’s vulnerability, while DHS and some conservative outlets emphasized the father’s immigration status and the agency’s law‑enforcement rationale [1][7][4]. Coverage shows divergent agendas—human‑rights and local education actors pushing for scrutiny of enforcement tactics, and government statements defending a “targeted” operation.
6. What reporting does not yet resolve
The sources document the detention, transfer, a court stay, congressional visits and family assertions about Liam’s health, but they do not provide independent medical records, on‑the‑record ICE medical assessments, or court findings resolving claims that other adults were refused custody at the scene; those details remain matters litigated or disputed in public statements and require court filings or formal agency records for confirmation [5][9][2]. The available reporting therefore establishes the sequence and the competing narratives but leaves some factual specifics—exact medical diagnoses, internal ICE decision‑making at the doorstep, and complete agency logs—outside the public record cited here.