Operation Metro surge caused the arrest of five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father by ICE agents in January. The arrest gained national attention and put into question Trump’s claims of only capturing and deporting the worst of the worst.
ICE agents have made several such arrests, with as many as 80% of detainees having no history of violent crime. Despite this, and despite ICE operations draining at least $10 million a day, people seem to be going missing, and conditions are often described as worse than prison.
In a post on X, Sen. Patty Murray said:
ICE and Border Patrol are sitting on a Republican slush fund.
But Republicans are holding TSA workers’ paychecks hostage unless they can give ICE & CBP even more money without BASIC reforms to prevent masked federal agents from breaking into people’s homes & hurting them.
— Senator Patty Murray (@PattyMurray) March 19, 2026
Liam’s asylum claim has been denied by a federal judge, and his school shared an update on this development and called it “heartbreaking.” The school district hopes that an appeal will save the family from deportation. They said, “We understand that this decision will be appealed and remain hopeful for a positive outcome. Our thoughts are with Liam and his family, and we will continue to advocate for and support Liam and all children.”
Paschal Nwokocha, the immigration lawyer working with the Ramos family, clarified that the decision was not recent, just that it was only now cleared to be revealed to the public. He also detailed the process that had to be followed to file an appeal to keep the family in the United States.
He said,
“A few weeks ago, an immigration judge based in New York issued a decision to terminate their asylum application and order them removed from the United States. Since that decision was issued, we filed an appeal with the Board of Immigration Appeals, and it is pending before the board.”
As long as the board does not review the case, the Ramos family can stay in the United States. However, if the board upholds the judge’s decision, they will be removed from the country.
Ramos and his father were taken into ICE custody on January 20, after the child returned home from preschool. School officials allege the child was used as bait to gain entry and check whether others were inside.
Reporter: 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was heading home from preschool with his father. According to the eyewitnesses, his father was detained for being an undocumented immigrant, at which point the ICE agents detained the 5-year-old. When an adult who lived in the household… pic.twitter.com/pKLYTrfTQP
— FactPost (@factpostnews) January 23, 2026
Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said at the time that the child was abandoned by his father and that the DHS was trying to contact his mother so she could take custody.
