Minneapolis-area family ordered deported after judge denies asylum claim following ICE detention of 5-year-old
Case timeline centers on Columbia Heights preschooler detained with his father and later released
An immigration judge has denied the asylum claim filed by the family of Liam Conejo Ramos, a 5-year-old in the Minneapolis area whose detention by federal immigration authorities drew national attention earlier this year. The ruling includes an order that the family be removed to Ecuador, where the father is from, while the family pursues an appeal.
The case became widely known after a photograph circulated showing the child in a bunny hat and carrying a Spider-Man backpack during the Jan. 20 detention. The child and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, were taken into custody in a Minneapolis suburb and transferred to a family detention facility in Dilley, Texas. They were held for about 10 days before a federal judge ordered their release. They returned to Minnesota on Feb. 1.
Conflicting accounts over what happened at the family home
School officials in the Columbia Heights district have said federal agents took the child from a running vehicle in the family driveway and directed him to knock on the door in an effort to draw other relatives outside—an allegation the Department of Homeland Security has disputed. Federal officials have said immigration officers were seeking to arrest the father, not the child, and have rejected the characterization that the child was used to pressure family members to come outside.
There have also been differing claims about the father’s entry into the United States. Federal officials have described him as being in the country illegally and have said he entered without authorization in December 2024. The family’s attorney has said he entered legally using the federal CBP One appointment process and that the family had an active asylum case without a prior order to leave the country at the time of the detention.
Fast-track concerns emerge as family prepares appeal
In the weeks following the detention and release, the family’s legal team said the government was attempting to move the proceedings quickly. Federal officials responded that the case was proceeding through standard removal processes and denied that any retaliation or irregular acceleration was underway.
The asylum denial now shifts the case into an appeals posture. The family’s attorney has said an appeal can take a prolonged period to resolve, but that there is concern the government could seek a faster schedule. The child has returned to school in the Minneapolis suburbs while the legal process continues.
Jan. 20, 2026: The child and his father were detained in a Minneapolis suburb and transferred to a Texas family detention facility.
Jan. 31, 2026: A federal judge ordered their release from detention.
Feb. 1, 2026: They returned to Minnesota.
March 2026: An immigration judge denied the family’s asylum claim and ordered deportation to Ecuador; an appeal is underway.
The case remains active through the immigration court appeal process, with the family seeking to overturn the denial while federal authorities retain discretion over enforcement timing within the bounds of court orders.