A federal judge has intervened to temporarily halt the deportation of a five-year-old boy from Ecuador and his father, who were apprehended in Minnesota last week. This decision, issued on Tuesday, puts a pause on the Trump administration’s deportation plans for the pair, providing a reprieve as their legal battle unfolds.

Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias and his son, Liam Ramos, currently find themselves detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas, following their apprehension by federal immigration authorities. The ruling, handed down by U.S. District Judge Fred Biery, ensures that they will remain in the current judicial district until their case is resolved.

The situation has drawn significant media attention, with many news outlets echoing the voices of prominent Democrats such as Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Representative Ilhan Omar. They have highlighted the case by sharing an image of the young boy, purportedly taken as he was returning home from preschool.

In response to the uproar, the Department of Homeland Security clarified in a post on the social media platform X that both father and son are together at the Dilley facility. The department stated, “Following the mother’s abandonment of the child, officers abided by the father’s wishes to keep the child with him.” This clarification aims to shed light on the circumstances surrounding their detention.

“Following the mother’s abandonment of the child, officers abided by the father’s wishes to keep the child with him. Father and son are together at Dilley [Immigration Processing Center],” DHS said in an X post. 

Conejo entered the U.S. illegally in December 2024 and was released into the U.S. by the Biden administration, DHS said. The family’s attorney said he had a pending asylum claim allowing him to stay in the country.

Fox News was told by the agency that Conejo Arias had the opportunity to  utilize a process known as VR, voluntary return, to leave the U.S. with no immigration consequences, but he declined. 

President Trump says tougher ICE enforcement is forcing violent criminal illegal immigrants out of the US, citing reverse migration, foreign prison releases and expanded metro raids. (SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)

Fox News Digital has reached out to DHS and Ramos’ attorney, Jennifer Scarborough.