Liam Conejo Ramos came home from preschool while his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, was being detained by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) on January 20, 2026. Conejo Ramos is 5 years old. A picture of the child standing with an ICE agent went viral, sparking debate across the U.S.
As more details about the case unfold, many are wondering where Conejo Ramos and his father are now and what will happen to them. Get updates below.
Was Liam Conejo Ramos Deported by ICE?
Conejo Ramos and his father were detained together, but the Department of Homeland Security insisted that ICE agents “did NOT target” the 5-year-old child.
“ICE did NOT target a child. The child was ABANDONED,” the department claimed in a tweet that week. “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 [Joe] Biden administration. As agents approached the driver, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, fled on foot — abandoning his child.”
Liam Ramos is just a baby. He should be at home with his family, not used as bait by ICE and held in a Texas detention center.
I am outraged, and you should be too. pic.twitter.com/djr2z1AG0N
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) January 22, 2026
The department’s statement continued, “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 [sic]. 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.”
ICE did NOT target a child. The child was ABANDONED.
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… https://t.co/UmxxV34omm
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) January 22, 2026
Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenvik said that Conejo Ramos’ family “is following U.S. legal parameters and has an active asylum case with no order of deportation.”
“I have viewed the legal paperwork with my own eyes,” Stenvik noted, according to FOX9. “Why detain a 5-year-old? You cannot tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal.”
Where Is Liam Conejo Ramos Now?
According to the family attorney, Marc Prokosch, Conejo Ramos and his father were held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas.
On February 1, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery ordered the release of Liam and his father. The pair flew back home to Minnesota, as seen in footage obtained by ABC News.
