Liam Conejo Ramos was identified as the 5-year-old boy being taken by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents from a viral photo that has sparked widespread debate across the U.S. The child was seen with an ICE officer in Minneota after coming home from preschool on January 20, 2026, while his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, was being detained.
Multiple celebrities reacted to the shocking incident, including Reese Witherspoon, her daughter, Ava Phillippe, Hailey Bieber and Gigi Hadid.
Here is what we know about Conejo Ramos’ ICE detainment.
Liam Ramos is just a baby. He should be at home with his family, not used as bait by ICE and held in a Texas detention center.
I am outraged, and you should be too. pic.twitter.com/djr2z1AG0N
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) January 22, 2026
Did ICE Really Detain a 5-Year-Old Child?
Yes, the child was detained alongside his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, according to multiple outlets such as FOX9, People, ABC News and more.
The Department of Homeland Security maintained that the child was not targeted, though, and that he was “abandoned” by his father.
“ICE did NOT target a child. The child was ABANDONED,” the department tweeted in a statement. “On January 20, ICE conducted a targeted operation to arrest Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, an illegal alien from Ecuador who was RELEASED into the U.S. by the [Joe] Biden administration. As agents approached the driver, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, fled on foot — abandoning his child.”
ICE did NOT target a child. The child was ABANDONED.
On January 20, ICE conducted a targeted operation to arrest Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias an illegal alien from Ecuador who was RELEASED into the U.S. by the Biden administration.
As agents approached the driver Adrian… https://t.co/UmxxV34omm
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) January 22, 2026
The department’s statement continued, “For the child’s safety, one of our ICE officers remained with the child while the other officers apprehended Conejo Arias. Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children, or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates. This is consistent with past administration’s immigration enforcement [sic]. Parents can take control of their departure and receive a free flight and $2,600 with the CBP Home app. By using the CBP Home app, illegal aliens reserve the chance to come back the right legal way.”
According to Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenvik, Conejo Ramos’ family “is following U.S. legal parameters and has an active asylum case with no order of deportation.”
“I have viewed the legal paperwork with my own eyes,” Stenvik noted, according to FOX9. “Why detain a 5-year-old? You cannot tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal.”
Where Is Liam Conejo Ramos Now? Update After ICE Detainment
At the time of publication, Conejo Ramos is with his father at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas, family attorney Marc Prokosch said, per ABC News.
