Nearly two months after five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minnesota, he now reportedly fears he will be detained again.
In an interview with CBS News, Liam’s parents said their son is deeply scarred by his experience in ICE custody.
Liam was taken into custody alongside his father while wearing a blue bunny hat and school bag, a moment captured on photos and video and reigniting Washington’s polarizing debate over immigration enforcement.
Read also | A US judge has ordered the release of 5-year-old Liam Ramos, who was detained in an ICE raid in Minneapolis
Liam arrested in Minnesota
Earlier this January, five-year-old Liam was taken into custody, a move that sparked global outrage over US President Donald Trump and his administration’s stance on immigration.
Liam and his father, who spent nearly two weeks in an ICE detention facility in Texas, were released following a sharply critical ruling by a federal judge who noted that their detention stemmed from an ill-conceived and incompetently executed government effort to meet daily deportation quotas, apparently at the cost of traumatizing children.
According to an AP report, an immigration judge denied the family of the five-year-old child’s asylum application and ordered them deported to Ecuador, the family’s lawyer said.
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Despite being released, Liam’s family still faces serious legal uncertainty and is at risk of being detained again and eventually deported. The federal government continues to seek deportation. Recently, officials closed their asylum case and are appealing the court order that led to the release of Liam and his father from ICE custody.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement that Liam’s family was ordered deported by an immigration judge after receiving “full due process.” The federal agency said it also urged parents in similar situations to voluntarily leave the country with their children.
Liam’s parents recount the ordeal
After being released from the detention center, Adrián Conejo Arias, Liam’s father, said his son now sees a psychologist regularly. In an interview with CBS on April 5, he said, “As parents, we’re very concerned that he’s not the way he was before, and we’re worried that it could take a long time. We’re worried that it won’t heal quickly.”
Erika Ramos, Liam’s mother, said he was showing signs of psychological trauma, including hypervigilance and isolation. She said: “My boy is very different.”
Liam’s mother also noted that the five-year-old is prone to acting out. Recalling how her son was before his arrest, Erika said he was once a happy, playful child who now doesn’t want to attend certain classes or play with other children.
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When asked what scares him the most, Liam said, “la immigración,” a term Spanish speakers use to refer to federal immigration authorities.
California Democrats condemn ICE for using excessive force
Liam’s family isn’t the only one who has borne the brunt of the Trump administration’s tough stance on immigration and subsequent crackdown. Last month, California Democrats criticized ICE for using excessive force in detaining a woman who appeared distressed in a video that went viral online.
Read also | Democrats Criticize ICE Over Woman’s Airport Arrest; “illegal aliens,” says DHS
The incident was reported on March 22, after which Democratic leaders criticized the agency, adding that such incidents could further fuel fear among immigrants. Democratic leaders also called for accountability and clarity from federal agencies.
