A US judge has ordered the release of a five-year-old boy and his father from an immigration detention centre in Texas, condemning it as driven by a 'perfidious lust for unbridled power'. The detention of Liam Conejo Ramos, photographed wearing a blue bunny-shaped hat and a Spider-Man backpack, sparked national outcry after he was taken into custody on the driveway of his home in Minneapolis.
The child's father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, was also detained. Following the outrage over the pre-schooler's detention, immigration officials stated they did not 'target a child' but were conducting an operation against his father, whom they classified as an 'illegal alien' who 'abandoned' his son during the encounter.
On Saturday, US District Judge Fred Biery granted an emergency request from the family's lawyer, ordering government officials to release the father and son by 3 February. The judge also included a photo of Ramos in his fluffy blue hat in his ruling.
'The case has its genesis in the ill-conceived and incompetently implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatising children,' Biery wrote in his ruling. He argued that deportations should occur under a more humane system, stating, 'observing human behaviour confirms that for some among us, the perfidious lust for unbridled power and the imposition of cruelty... know no bounds.'
The BBC has contacted the Department of Homeland Security for a response. Marc Prokosch, the family's attorney, reported that Ramos and his father were being held at a detention centre in San Antonio, Texas. They arrived from Ecuador in 2024 seeking asylum and were reportedly following proper immigration protocols.
In recent weeks, US President Donald Trump has intensified immigration enforcement efforts in Minneapolis, launching an initiative known as 'Operation Metro Surge'. Following national outcry over recent federal actions, officials indicated a potential reduction in federal presence in the state. In a separate ruling, a federal judge denied a request to block the deployment of additional immigration agents in Minneapolis, citing insufficient grounds from the state government.
The child's father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, was also detained. Following the outrage over the pre-schooler's detention, immigration officials stated they did not 'target a child' but were conducting an operation against his father, whom they classified as an 'illegal alien' who 'abandoned' his son during the encounter.
On Saturday, US District Judge Fred Biery granted an emergency request from the family's lawyer, ordering government officials to release the father and son by 3 February. The judge also included a photo of Ramos in his fluffy blue hat in his ruling.
'The case has its genesis in the ill-conceived and incompetently implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatising children,' Biery wrote in his ruling. He argued that deportations should occur under a more humane system, stating, 'observing human behaviour confirms that for some among us, the perfidious lust for unbridled power and the imposition of cruelty... know no bounds.'
The BBC has contacted the Department of Homeland Security for a response. Marc Prokosch, the family's attorney, reported that Ramos and his father were being held at a detention centre in San Antonio, Texas. They arrived from Ecuador in 2024 seeking asylum and were reportedly following proper immigration protocols.
In recent weeks, US President Donald Trump has intensified immigration enforcement efforts in Minneapolis, launching an initiative known as 'Operation Metro Surge'. Following national outcry over recent federal actions, officials indicated a potential reduction in federal presence in the state. In a separate ruling, a federal judge denied a request to block the deployment of additional immigration agents in Minneapolis, citing insufficient grounds from the state government.
