A federal judge in San Antonio has directed the U.S. government to free a 5-year-old boy and his father from a Texas immigration detention center by Tuesday. The pair was transferred there after immigration agents detained them in a Minneapolis suburb last month.
Judge’s Ruling Highlights Policy Concerns
Images of Liam Conejo Ramos, wearing a bunny hat and carrying a Spiderman backpack while surrounded by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, have intensified public criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement in Minnesota. These photos prompted protests outside the detention facility and a visit from two Democratic members of Congress from Texas.
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery, appointed by former President Bill Clinton, issued the order on Saturday. In his decision, Biery described the case as originating from a “ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children.” The judge had previously ruled that Liam and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, could not be deported from the U.S. at this time.
Biery further noted the government’s apparent disregard for the Declaration of Independence, drawing parallels to historical grievances against British rule outlined by Thomas Jefferson. His ruling included a photo of Liam and references to two Bible verses: “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these,’” and “Jesus Wept.”
Detention Tactics and Official Responses
White House policy chief Stephen Miller has outlined a goal of 3,000 immigration arrests per day, a target the judge referred to as a “quota.” Representatives from the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security have not yet responded to inquiries about the ruling.
Local residents and school officials in Minnesota claim federal agents used the young boy as “bait” by instructing him to knock on his home’s door, prompting his mother to open it. The Department of Homeland Security rejects this account as an “abject lie,” stating instead that the father fled on foot, leaving Liam in a running vehicle in the driveway.
Conditions at the Facility
During a January 28 visit to the detention center by Representatives Joaquin Castro and Jasmine Crockett, Liam slept in his father’s arms. Adrian Conejo Arias reported that his son often appeared fatigued and struggled to eat properly in the facility, which houses around 1,100 people.
Detained families have described substandard conditions since the center reopened last year, including worms in meals, competition for clean water, and inadequate medical care. An internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement reports December confirmed that approximately 400 children were held beyond the recommended 20-day limit.
