A federal judge ordered on Saturday that a 5-year-old boy and his father must be released by Tuesday from the Texas center where they have been held after being detained by immigration officers in Minnesota. The ruling sharply criticized the Trump administration’s approach to enforcement.
Images of Liam Conejo Ramos, depicted wearing a bunny hat and a Spider-Man backpack while surrounded by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, intensified public outcry regarding the administration’s actions in Minnesota.
The boy and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, were apprehended on January 20th in Columbia Heights, a suburb of Minneapolis. They were subsequently transferred to a detention facility in Dilley, Texas.
This detention led to a public outcry and a visit from elected officials.
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery, appointed by former Democratic President Bill Clinton and based in San Antonio, stated in his ruling that the case originated from the “ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children.”
Biery had previously ruled that the boy and his father should be released, at least temporarily.
In his Saturday order, Biery remarked on the government’s apparent disregard for the Declaration of Independence, suggesting that the Trump administration’s actions mirrored the grievances listed by Thomas Jefferson against King George III of England.
These grievances included: “He has sent hither Swarms of Officers to harass our People” and “He has excited domestic Insurrection among us.”
Biery’s ruling also incorporated a photograph of Liam and references to two biblical passages: “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.”
Biery is not the only federal judge to have taken a critical stance against ICE recently. Another federal judge, described as having a conservative background, characterized the agency as a repeated violator of court orders related to enforcement actions.
Stephen Miller, the White House’s chief of staff for policy, has stated that the administration aims for 3,000 immigration arrests daily. This figure is what the judge appeared to refer to as a “quota.”
Spokespersons for the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Law Firm of Jennifer Scarborough, representing the boy and his family, issued a statement indicating their efforts to “ensure a safe and timely reunion.”
“We are pleased that the family will now be able to focus on being together and finding some peace after this traumatic ordeal,” the firm stated.
Neighbors and school officials have reported that federal immigration officers in Minnesota approached the boy by asking him to knock on his own door so his mother would open it. The Department of Homeland Security has denied this account, calling it an “abject lie” and stating that the father fled on foot, leaving the boy in a running vehicle in their driveway.
The government asserts that Arias entered the U.S. illegally in December 2024. However, the family’s lawyer maintains that Arias has a pending asylum claim that permits him to remain in the country.
During a visit on Wednesday by Texas Representatives Joaquin Castro and Jasmine Crockett, the boy was seen sleeping in his father’s arms. Castro reported that Liam was frequently tired and not eating well at the detention facility, which houses approximately 1,100 individuals.
Detained families have reported substandard conditions at the detention center since its opening, including inadequate food, unsanitary facilities, and poor medical care. In December, an ICE report acknowledged that the agency had held about 400 children beyond the recommended 20-day limit.
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Associated Press writer Valerie Gonzalez contributed to this article.