Camilla Jessen
‘They’re taking children,’ says Minnesota superintendent.
The detention of a preschool-aged child in Minnesota has intensified scrutiny of recent immigration enforcement actions.
School officials say the incident has angered families and raised serious questions about how federal operations are being carried out.
Authorities, however, dispute key details of the account and say the child was not the target.
After school arrest
Columbia Heights school officials said ICE detained four students from the district in recent weeks, including five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos.
According to Superintendent Zena Stenvik, Liam and his father were taken into custody on January 20 as they returned home from preschool.
They were later transported to a detention center in Texas.
Stenvik said she arrived at the home to find the father’s car still running, but both had already been apprehended.
“Using a five-year-old”
“An agent had taken Liam out of the car, led him to his front door, and directed him to knock to see if anyone else was home — essentially using a five-year-old as bait,” Stenvik said at a news conference.
She said ICE denied requests from another adult at the home to care for the child. Liam’s older brother arrived about 20 minutes later and found them gone.
“Why detain a five-year-old? You cannot tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal,” Stenvik said.
“Our children are traumatized. The sense of safety in our community and around our schools is shaken,” Stenvik added. “They’re taking children.”
Liam’s attorney, Marc Prokosch, told The Guardian the family entered the United States legally and has an active asylum case.
“They did not come here illegally. They are not criminals. They did everything they were supposed to in accordance with the rules,” he said.
Other students detained
School officials said three other students were also detained. A 10-year-old fourth grader was taken with her mother on January 6.
Two 17-year-old students were also detained, one on January 14 with her mother and another on January 20 without parents present.
Stenvik accused ICE of aggressive tactics, saying agents have been “circling our schools, following our buses, coming into our parking lots and taking our kids.”
In a January 21 statement, Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin defended the operation, saying Liam’s father was the target and calling him an “illegal alien.”
“ICE did NOT target a child,” McLaughlin said, adding that an officer stayed with Liam for his safety after the father “abandoned” him.
The district released photos showing Liam outside his home with a masked agent nearby. His teacher described him as “a bright young student… so kind and loving… All I want is for him to be back here and safe.”
Schools under strain
“Our role is to educate children during the school day,” Stenvik said. “But now we’re trying to help people navigate this legal system. Our main priority is to keep children safe. They’re children. They are not violent criminals. They are little kids.”
Sources: Columbia Heights Public Schools, The Guardian, Department of Homeland Security
