Five-year-old student from Columbia Heights Public Schools who was detained by ICE along with his father, according to school officials

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Billal Rahman

By Billal Rahman

Immigration Reporter

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Federal immigration agents used a 5-year-old child "as bait" during an arrest operation in a Minneapolis-area suburb, according to school officials, who said the boy was directed to knock on the door of his home while agents waited outside.

Liam Conejo Ramos, a preschool student in the Columbia Heights Public School District, was detained along with his father in their driveway after they returned home from school on January 13, district leaders said on Wednesday.

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According to school officials, agents removed Liam from the vehicle and instructed him to approach the house to determine whether others were inside.

"The agent took the child out of the still-running car, led him to the door and directed him to knock on the door asking to be let in in order to see if anyone else was home, essentially using a 5-year-old as bait," a school official said.

Liam Conejo Ramos, a 5-year-old student from the Columbia Heights Public School District, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement along with his father on January 13, according to school officials.

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Why It Matters

In December, federal authorities launched Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota. The large-scale immigration enforcement effort deployed about 3,000 federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and Homeland Security Investigations to the Twin Cities area. Federal officials have said the operation targets immigration violations as well as crimes, including alleged fraud cases involving members of the Somali community.

The enforcement push has drawn heightened scrutiny following the fatal shooting of Renée Nicole Good during an ICE operation in Minneapolis and the shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa‑Celis in a separate encounter. Those incidents, along with the arrests of immigrants and their family members, have fueled protests in Minnesota and in other cities nationwide. The operation is unfolding amid the Trump administration's renewed push for aggressive immigration enforcement and mass deportations, a policy approach that has prompted both legal challenges and widespread public demonstrations.

What To Know

The child's father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, fled on foot when approached by ICE officers, the Department of Homeland Security said, adding, "For the child's safety, one of our ICE officers remained with the child while the other officers apprehended Conejo Arias."

According to DHS, it is ICE policy to ask parents whether they want to be removed with their children or designate a safe person to take them.

School officials said the family has an active asylum case and no deportation order, and that district staff had reviewed the family's immigration paperwork.

ICE agents approach a house before detaining two people on January 13 in Minneapolis.

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"Why detain a 5-year-old?" Superintendent Zena Stenvik said at a news conference on Wednesday. "You can't tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal."

The preschooler is among at least four students in the district that ICE has detained in recent weeks, Stenvik told reporters.

The other children include a 10‑year‑old elementary student and two 17‑year‑old high school students. Officials said some of the arrests occurred while students were traveling to or from school or when a parent was not present. District leaders said the students and accompanying family members were taken to immigration detention facilities, with several transferred out of state to Texas.

What People Are Saying

Ella Sullivan, Liam's teacher, said at the news conference: "He's very friendly. He comes into class every day, and he just brightens the room. His friends haven't asked about him yet, but I know that they'll catch on."

Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek: "ICE did NOT target a child. On January 20, ICE conducted a targeted operation to arrest Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias an illegal alien from Ecuador who was RELEASED into the U.S. by the Biden administration. As agents approached the driver Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, fled on foot—abandoning his child. For the child's safety, one of our ICE officers remained with the child while the other officers apprehended Conejo Arias.

"Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children, or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates. This is consistent with past administration's immigration enforcement. Parents can take control of their departure and receive a free flight and $2,600 with the CBP Home app. By using the CBP Home app illegal aliens reserve the chance to come back the right legal way."

Update 1/22/26, 9:02 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from the Department of Homeland Security.

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