The father of a 5-year-old boy who was detained by immigration officers and held at a federal facility in Texas denied government accounts Monday that he abandoned his son as the pair returned to Minnesota.
Adrian Conejo Arias, who is originally from Ecuador, told ABC News that he loves his son, Liam, and would never abandon him, disputing statements from the Department of Homeland Security, which alleged that Arias had left his child in a vehicle. He also said his son got sick while in federal custody but was denied medicine.
Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated that Arias fled on foot before being arrested, effectively “abandoning his child.” However, Arias refuted this, saying that he was arrested unjustly and that he was in the country legally while waiting on a pending asylum application.
In response to the incident, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery criticized the administration, stating that the case stemmed from poorly implemented government policies for daily deportation quotas that traumatize children. The case generated considerable media attention, especially after images of Liam in a bunny hat and Spider-Man backpack were shared.
The family was ultimately released due to a federal judge's ruling over the weekend, highlighting the ongoing tensions surrounding immigration policies and their impact on families in the United States.
