U.S. District Judge Fred Biery Blocks Removal of 5-Year-Old Liam Conejo Ramos and Father
Court bars removal or transfer of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father while litigation proceeds, according to a Jan. 27, 2025 order.
Overview
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery issued a temporary restraining order on Jan. 27, 2025, staying removal or transfer of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, according to court documents.
The order follows their Jan. 20, 2025 apprehension outside their Minneapolis-area home and their transfer to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, events that drew national attention.
DHS said Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias fled and an ICE officer remained with Liam for his safety, while attorney Marc Prokosch said the family entered legally and disputed the government's account, according to statements.
Columbia Heights superintendent Zena Stenvik said Liam is one of four students detained by federal agents in January, and both were moved to the Dilley family facility, records show.
The family's lawsuit names DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Biery's order will remain in place "until further order from this Court," court documents state.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the case as a human-interest and civil-rights story, foregrounding the child's vulnerability by emphasizing photos of the five-year-old in a blue bunny hat, quoting family attorneys, city leaders and school statements, and stressing public 'outrage.' ICE’s competing account is included but often follows and is given less narrative prominence.
Sources (7)
FAQ
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery issued a temporary restraining order on January 27, 2025, barring their deportation or transfer from the Dilley, Texas detention center while litigation proceeds.
They were apprehended on January 20, 2025, outside their Minneapolis-area home as part of an ICE operation targeting the father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, an Ecuadorian immigrant accused of being in the U.S. illegally.
The family's attorney claims ICE used the child as 'bait' by having him knock on the door; DHS disputes this, stating the father fled, leaving Liam in a running vehicle, and officers cared for the boy before detaining them together.
The family entered legally and is pursuing an asylum claim, with pending immigration court cases that have not been fully adjudicated.
The lawsuit names DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
History
4 sources