Judge orders release of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, his father after ICE detention

DILLEY, TEXAS: A federal judge in Texas ordered the release of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, from immigration detention on Saturday, January 31. 

The pair were taken into custody earlier this month by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a large-scale immigration operation in Minnesota.

After granting an emergency request filed by the family’s legal team, US District Judge Fred Biery sharply criticized the government’s actions and highlighted the emotional toll placed on children amid aggressive deportation enforcement.

Judge Fred Biery condemns ICE detention of child and father

The request that Judge Biery granted directed immigration authorities to release Liam and Adrian, “as soon as practicable,” but no later than February 3, Tuesday.

In an opinion accompanying his order, the judge said the detention of Liam and his father “has its genesis in the ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas,” adding that it appeared officials were willing to traumatize children to meet enforcement targets.

The judge also referenced the Declaration of Independence, writing that the government’s ignorance of its principles was “apparent.”

He signed the ruling with a photo of Liam wearing a blue bunny hat and carrying his school backpack, an image that had previously gone viral online and sparked national outrage.

Earlier in the week, Biery had already blocked ICE from deporting the family or transferring them out of Texas while the case was under review, in a show of deep concern about how the arrest was carried out.

Since their detention, Liam and his father have been held at the Dilley ICE detention center in Texas, a facility designed to house immigrant families with underage children accused of violating federal immigration law.

Family attorneys welcome ruling, DHS remains silent

Jennifer Scarborough, one of the attorneys representing the family, said the ruling brings relief after weeks of uncertainty.

“We are now working closely with our clients and their family to ensure a safe and timely reunion,” Scarborough said in a statement to CBS Minnesota. “We are pleased that the family will now be able to focus on being together and finding some peace after this traumatic ordeal.”

CBS News said it reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, for comment following the ruling, but did not receive a response.

DHS has previously described Adrian Conejo Ramos as an “illegal alien,” alleging that he tried to flee ICE officers during his arrest on January 20 and abandoned Liam in a vehicle.

Officials also claimed that Liam’s mother refused to take custody of the child.

Those claims have been disputed by individuals familiar with the family’s situation, who said Liam’s mother did not open the door because she feared being arrested herself.

Immigration status, protests, and broader fallout in Minnesota

According to Justice Department records reviewed by CBS News, Liam and his father have active immigration court cases.

While they face deportation proceedings, federal law prevents them from being deported until an immigration judge fully rules on their cases.

The family, originally from Ecuador, entered the United States in 2024 under a now-defunct Biden-era program that allowed asylum-seekers to schedule border processing appointments through a mobile app known as CBP One. DHS has said it has no record of the family using the app.

A lawyer for the family has stated that Adrian Conejo Ramos does not have a criminal record, a point DHS officials have not disputed.

Their arrest came amid a sweeping immigration crackdown ordered by the Trump administration, which sent thousands of ICE and Border Patrol agents into the Minneapolis area. The operation sparked widespread protests, particularly after federal officers killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti, two US citizens and Minneapolis residents.

Following intense bipartisan backlash over Pretti’s death, White House border czar Tom Homan suggested the administration could begin a “drawdown” of federal agents from Minneapolis, but only if local leaders expanded cooperation with ICE.