A five-year-old boy and his father have returned to their suburban Minnesota home following a federal judge’s order to release them from an immigration detention centre in Texas.
Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, were escorted back from the Dilley facility on Sunday by US Representative Joaquin Castro, who had picked them up the previous evening, reports Reuters.
Representative Castro celebrated the return on social media, stating, “Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack,” and added,
“We won’t stop until all children and families are home”. The young Ecuadorean boy, who originally entered the country legally as an asylum applicant, gained national attention after a viral image showed him in a blue bunny hat during a federal raid at his residence. According to the Columbia Heights Public School District.
Liam was one of four students recently apprehended by immigration agents. The legal justification for the detention was heavily criticized by US District Judge Fred Biery.
In his Saturday ruling, the Clinton-appointed judge argued the case was born from “the ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children”.
Judge Biery further challenged the use of “administrative warrants” by immigration authorities, asserting that such a practice “is called the fox guarding the henhouse” and fails to meet the Constitutional requirement for a judge to find probable cause before an arrest.
The incident has intensified calls for federal oversight. Democratic lawmakers are currently demanding reforms such as mandatory body cameras for agents, an end to roving patrols, and a ban on the use of face masks by officers.
These demands follow large-scale enforcement actions and two fatal shootings of US citizens involving ICE agents in Minneapolis.
The political ripple effects have extended to Republican leadership as well. Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt noted that municipal leaders are “caught in a little bit of an impossible situation” regarding federal enforcement, which he believes can damage the trust built between local authorities and residents.
While DHS funding is currently stalled due to ongoing negotiations, Mayor Holt remarked that local leaders are “generally encouraged that the administration seems to be exploring that pivot” toward reform.
This comment followed an order from President Trump for the DHS to avoid interfering with protesters unless federal property is at risk or local help is requested.
Regarding the broader DHS budget, President Trump stated on Sunday that discussions would occur “in the near future”
