5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and father return home after judge orders release from ICE detention

Liam Conejo Ramos, a 5-year-old student at Valley View Elementary, and his father have returned home to Minneapolis after a federal judge ordered their release from immigration detention. They had been detained by federal immigration agents on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, in the Minneapolis area as Liam was returning home from preschool.

U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, accompanied the father and son as they boarded a flight and later confirmed the child had made it home safely. Castro wrote in a Facebook post, "Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack. Thank you to everyone who demanded freedom for Liam. We won’t stop until all children and families are home." An ABC News video shows Adrian Conejo Arias carrying his son onto the plane, marking the end of more than a week in federal custody. Conejo Arias told ABC News he was relieved to be heading home.

Liam and his father have a pending asylum case and did not have an active deportation order when they were arrested by ICE agents. The case drew national attention after U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett visited them at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley. They said the boy, who slept during the entire 30-minute visit, was lethargic and depressed. At a press conference and rally held in San Antonio, Castro and Crockett demanded their release, calling the detention "inhumane" and "emblematic of the monstrosity of the (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) system and the detention system."

Their release followed an order by U.S. District Judge Fred Biery, who directed immigration authorities to free them as soon as practicable and barred their deportation or transfer while the case proceeds. Biery raised concerns about the detention of a young child and questioned whether the government’s actions complied with constitutional protections and due process. The case sparked protests and criticism from immigration advocates and elected officials, who argued the detention was unnecessary. The Department of Homeland Security has said agents acted to ensure the child’s safety and has disputed claims that other adults were available to care for him at the time of the arrest.