ICE Detains 5-Year-Old; Officials And Lawyers Offer Conflicting Accounts
DHS says Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias abandoned son Liam Conejo Ramos during Jan. 20 arrest; family lawyers and witnesses dispute that account.
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Overview
ICE removed 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos from a car in Columbia Heights on Jan. 20 and transferred him and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, to Dilley, Texas, ICE records and lawyer Marc Prokosch said.
DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias fled and 'abandoned' the child, while Columbia Heights Superintendent Zena Stenvik and neighbors said agents used the boy as 'bait,' accounts marked by conflicting details.
Marc Prokosch, the family's lawyer, said Liam and Adrian have a pending asylum claim and are at Dilley; ICE official Marcos Charles said officers 'stayed with the child' and got him food, officials confirmed.
ICE booked some 3,800 minors into family detention from January to October 2025, including children as young as one and two, and about 400 children faced extended detention at Dilley, advocates said.
Marc Prokosch said the family will pursue legal remedies, and other lawyers are asking courts to bar out-of-state transfers and limit detention pending habeas petitions, attorneys said.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources present conflicting official and local accounts but frame the story around human-impact and government accountability by foregrounding the “bait” allegation, the child’s image, and Dilley detention criticisms. Editorial choices emphasize emotional context and systemic concerns while still including DHS denials as source content.