Federal Response
Federal officials are pushing back against claims that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) abused or detained a child during a January 20 enforcement action in Columbia Heights, Minnesota. ICE and the Department of Homeland Security say agents were attempting to arrest Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, a 35-year-old Ecuadorian national with a prior removal order, when he fled on foot after returning from preschool with his 5-year-old son, Liam Conejo Ramos.
ICE Account of the Incident
ICE states the child was left alone in sub-freezing temperatures and that agents temporarily kept him in their care solely for his safety. Officials say the child was never arrested, charged, or interrogated. ICE reports that agents attempted to place the boy with relatives inside the home, but those efforts were unsuccessful. While waiting, officers provided food and comfort and later reunited the child with his father at a family detention facility in Texas, consistent with ICE policy allowing parents to remain together.
Family and School Officials Dispute
School officials and the family’s attorney dispute that account, claiming the father did not flee and that the child was unnecessarily separated despite an adult relative being available. They also argue the family has an active asylum case and no valid deportation order, and have filed legal challenges seeking release. They say the child was removed from the car and directed to knock on the door while officers searched the home, and that the family’s attorney is pursuing a habeas corpus petition.
Vice President JD Vance Comments
Vice President JD Vance addressed the controversy during a January 22 briefing, saying media reports omitted key facts. “The five year old was not arrested,” Vance said, adding that agents were faced with protecting a child left in dangerous conditions. He criticized coverage that, in his words, ignored officer obligations to ensure child safety. Vance said agents acted to prevent harm, not to detain the child.
No body camera footage has been released, and conflicting accounts remain under review. ICE maintains the child was never arrested and was only temporarily protected by agents. The child is currently with his father, and the full details are still being reviewed by officials and legal representatives.
What do you make of JD Vance’s explanation of what happened in Minnesota?
Here are the latest confirmed details from DHS/ICE:
• Entry status disputed: DHS released a photo of the father via Fox News, saying there is no CBP One legal-entry record; voluntary return was offered and declined.
Video: JD Vance on Minnesota ICE incident:
This is a video from Rep. Tony Gonzales (TX-23) showing children at the Dilley ICE family detention facility where Liam is currently held with his father:
Next, you will hear from ICE Executive Assistant Director Marcos Charles as he responds to the criticism and explains what happened in the case involving the 5-year-old child:
