Judge Orders Release of 5-Year-Old Liam Conejo Ramos and Father from ICE Detention, Highlighting Immigration Policy Concerns

SAN ANTONIO – A federal judge has mandated that a father and his 5-year-old son, who have been detained at a Texas immigration center, be released by Tuesday. This decision, issued on Saturday, comes with strong criticism of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.

Images of young Liam Conejo Ramos, wearing a bunny hat and carrying a Spiderman backpack, surrounded by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, on January 20, have intensified public backlash against the administration’s stringent immigration measures. The incident prompted protests at the detention center in Texas and drew the attention of two Democratic Congress members from Texas.

U.S. District Judge Fred Biery, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton and presides over the San Antonio court, condemned the government’s approach in his ruling. He described the situation as stemming from a poorly-conceived government strategy focused on meeting deportation quotas, regardless of the impact on children.

Previously, Judge Biery had ruled to prevent the deportation of the child and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, ensuring their temporary stay in the United States.

In his latest order, Biery criticized the administration for apparently disregarding the principles outlined in the Declaration of Independence, alluding to grievances against England that were highlighted by Thomas Jefferson, one of the document’s authors and a future U.S. President.

Biery also included in his ruling a photo of Liam Conejo Ramos and references to two lines in the Bible: “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.”

He’s not the only federal judge who has been tough on ICE recently. A Minnesota-based judge with a conservative pedigree accused the agency as a serial violator of court orders.

Stephen Miller, the White House chief of staff for policy, has said there’s a target of 3,000 immigration arrests a day. It’s that figure which the judge seemed to describe as a “quota.”

Spokespersons from the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

Neighbors and school officials say that federal immigration officers in Minnesota used the preschooler as “bait” by telling him to knock on the door to his house so that his mother would answer. The Department of Homeland Security has called that description of events an “abject lie.” It said the father fled on foot and left the boy in a running vehicle in their driveway.

The government says Arias entered the U.S. illegally in December 2024. The family’s lawyer says he has a pending asylum claim that allows him to remain in the country.

During the Jan. 28 visit with Texas Reps. Joaquin Castro and Jasmine Crockett, the boy slept in the arms of his father, who said Liam was frequently tired and not eating well at the detention facility that houses about 1,100 people, according to Castro.

Detained families report poor conditions like worms in food, fighting for clean water and poor medical care at the detention center since its reopening last year. In December, a report filed by ICE acknowledged they held about 400 children longer than the recommended limit of 20 days.

___

Associated Press writer Valerie Gonzalez contributed to this article.