ICE agents detained a five-year-old Minnesota boy and his father as he was coming home from school. The school superintendent in Columbia Heights, a Minneapolis suburb, confirmed that ICE agents arrested Liam Ramos and his father in the driveway. They were then taken to a detention center in Texas.
Ramos is one of four children who were detained from the school district. The immigration crackdown in Minnesota has been at an all-time high, and federal agents are not holding back, detaining even innocent children. In addition, they are also arresting U.S. citizens and asking for documents, which they don’t have since they are American.
This is Liam Conejo Ramos.
This is the 5 year old child ICE grabbed in Minnesota today.
They used him as bait to get his father.
They’ve sent this toddler to detention instead of letting him stay with family.
A masked man grabbed a toddler off the street in broad daylight. pic.twitter.com/uTwj7WpKCj
— Kelly (@broadwaybabyto) January 22, 2026
In other news, ICE agents were also stopping off-duty police officers and demanding their papers before letting them go. ICE agents detained Ramos as he reached his home with his father.
The school superintendent, Zena Stenvik, went to their home when she heard about it. She described the scene, adding that the father’s car was still running and the agents had already detained Liam and made him knock on his door.
They used him as bait to see if anyone else was home. She said, “Why detain a five-year-old? You cannot tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal.” Another adult lives in the same home but was outside when the boy knocked.
They pleaded to allow the five-year-old to stay with them so he would not be sent into detention. However, they denied the request and took him. Meanwhile, his older brother got home about 20 minutes later, finding his father and brother gone. According to the family’s attorney, they have an ongoing asylum case and have the proper paperwork. They came to the U.S. at a port of entry, which is an official crossing point.
ICE detain 5 year old girl for past 10 days—she’s U.S. citizen and her family wants her back.
Family want to make custody arrangements so she can stay with them while mother is detained—but they can’t find her.
Mother called 911 about a possible break in—they called ICE instead… pic.twitter.com/u8AYHaBROD
— LongTime🤓FirstTime👨💻 (@LongTimeHistory) January 14, 2026
The attorney, Marc Prokosch, added, “The family did everything they were supposed to in accordance with the rules as they have been set out. They did not come here illegally. They are not criminals.” Two school principals also came to the house to offer support.
The school also shared photos from the day that showed an ICE agent with Liam in a blue knit hat. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated event. ICE has been detaining children while separating them from their parents. A five-year-old girl, who is a U.S. citizen, was detained by ICE in Texas.
DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin called this a targeted operation to capture Ramos’ father, an “illegal alien.” She said they did not target the child and kept him in detention to keep him safe. She further explained that parents are given the option to stay with their children in detention or place them with a safe person to pick them up.
