The boy was detained alongside his father before being used as bait to find other suspects.

13:32, Thu, Jan 22, 2026 Updated: 13:34, Thu, Jan 22, 2026

a five year old boy

The boy was detained on his return home from school (Image: Courtesy of Columbia Heights Public Schools)

An image of a five-year-old boy being detained by Immigration, Customs and Enforcement agents before being used as bait to ensnare family members has caused anger and consternation. Liam Ramos and his father, named in media reports as Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, were seized in Minneapolis as they returned home from school on Tuesday before being sent to a detention centre 1,000 miles away in San Antonio, Texas.

Zena Stenvik, an education official in Columbia Heights, a suburb of Minneapolis, accused immigration officers of using the boy as bait after he was forced to knock on his front door in order to lure anybody inside into opening up. “Why detain a five-year-old?” She said: “You cannot tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal."

ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents and protesters, Minneapolis, January 2026

ICE has deployed around 10% of its officers to the state of Minnesota (Image: Getty)

The Trump administration claims that its officers are deployed in a bid to detain immigrants in the country illegally who have been convicted of crimes.

Currently, it is believed that 10% of the country’s ICE officers are deployed to the state of Minnesota, where tensions remain high following the killing of protester Renee Good by an officer earlier this month.

Stenvik, who drove to the scene after hearing the news of the arrest, claimed that pleas by another adult inside the home to care for the boy were dismissed by the agents.

She added: “Instead, the agent took the child out of the still-running car, led him to the door, and directed him to knock on the door, asking to be let in, in order to see if anyone else was home, essentially using a five-year-old as bait.”

The boy was described as “friendly” and “a bright young student” by his teacher, Ella Sullivan.

In a statement, she added: “He comes into class every day, and he just brightens the room.”

Federal Agents Descend On Minneapolis For Immigration Enforcement Operations

Tensions have heightened following the killing of Renee Good (Image: Getty)

The family are understood to be in the process of applying for asylum with no order of deportation, according to Marc Prokosch, an attorney representing the family.

He added: “The family did everything they were supposed to in accordance with how the rules have been set out.

“They did not come here illegally. They are not criminals.”

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Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, who comes from Minnesota, said on X: “ICE detained a 5-year-old child in Minnesota to use as 'bait.' "An innocent child. America, let this sink in. This is what the Government is doing right in front of our eyes.”

Tricia McLaughlin, Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, said in a statement on Wednesday night that ICE was conducting a “targeted operation” to arrest Liam’s father, whom she called an “illegal alien”. “ICE did NOT target a child,” she said.