A federal judge has temporarily blocked the deportation of 5-year-old Liam Ramos and his father after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took them into custody during an immigration enforcement effort in suburban Minneapolis, according to court records.
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery issued a temporary restraining order on Jan. 27 to halt any removal or transfer of Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, while the case is ongoing.
The order barred federal officials from moving them outside the judicial district and will remain in effect until further notice from the court.
As of Feb. 1, Liam and his father have returned home to Minneapolis after Biery ordered their release on Jan. 31. Biery said that they should be released “as soon as practicable” but no later than Feb. 3.”
Their arrest was part of an ongoing targeted enforcement operation in Minneapolis called Operation Metro Surge, the largest immigration operation involving over 3,000 deployed agents.
Ramos and his father were taken into custody shortly after they arrived home from preschool.
That same day, they were transported to the South TexasFamily Residential Center located in Dilley, Texas.
The Dilley facility is a contracting family detention center that operates with the federal government.
According to Minnesota-based MPR News, detainees are held in unsecured housing units with limited access to outdoor recreation, legal counsel and medical care.
The conditions of the facility were described as restrictive for young children by advocates’ attorneys, who said families were subject to frequent monitoring and could not move about freely.
The Department of Homeland Security said Conejo Arias arrived in the U.S. illegally in December 2024 and was an undocumented immigrant from Ecuador.
The family attorney said that Conejo Arias had complied with immigration requirements while seeking asylum, such as attending scheduled court hearings.
However, DHS Security refuted claims that Ramos was improperly detained. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said that agents approached Conejo Arias, who fled on foot, and that an ICE officer remained with Ramos while his father was arrested. McLaughlin also said that Conejo Arias requested that his son accompany him into custody, according to The Guardian.
School officials and family advocates contested that account. Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenvik said that ICE agents used Ramos to gain access to the home, and school officials explained how the agents ignored offers from another adult who lived in the home to care for Ramos.
School officials said the child’s mother declined to surrender custody to agents out of fear of detention herself. In the restraining order, Biery wrote that any anticipated removal of the father and child was “immediately stayed,” citing concerns about due process and the child’s welfare.
The case garnered national attention, leading to a visit by U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas to the Dilley facility, who called for Ramos’ release after meeting with ICE officials, according to The Guardian.
District officials said that at least four students from the district were detained at the Dilley facility during the same period, and 25 families at Valley View Elementary School had a parent or caregiver taken into custody, according to The New York Times.
The Trump administration is currently weighing to appeal the ruling that led to the father and son’s release from federal custody.
