ICE DETAINS FOUR MINNESOTA STUDENTS, INCLUDING 5-YEAR-OLD, DISTRICT SAYS. (PHOTO)

 ICE detains four Minnesota students, including 5-year-old, district says

A public school district north of Minneapolis said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents recently detained four of its students, including a 5-year-old boy.

Zena Stenvik, superintendent of Columbia Heights Public Schools, said during a Wednesday news conference that two of the students were taken while on their way to school. She described the arrest of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, which occurred in their driveway on Tuesday afternoon, shortly after Liam returned from preschool. Stenvik said another adult present at the scene pleaded with the agents to let him care for the child, but the request was denied.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security stated that ICE was not targeting the child. The spokesperson said agents were focused on the father, who fled on foot during the arrest, leaving his son behind. For the child’s safety, an officer remained with him while his father was taken into custody. Officials said parents are generally given the option to be detained alongside their children or to designate a safe person for the child’s care, consistent with past immigration enforcement practices.

Vice President JD Vance commented on the case Thursday, acknowledging the public concern over the detention of a 5-year-old but defending the actions of ICE agents. “What are they supposed to do? Are they supposed to let a 5-year-old freeze to death? Are they not supposed to arrest an illegal alien in the United States of America?” he said.

Immigration attorney Marc Prokosch, representing the family, said both father and son are currently in Texas and that he is exploring a habeas corpus petition to secure their release. Stenvik emphasized that the family has an active asylum case and no deportation order.

The Columbia Heights school district described the impact on the family and the community, noting that shortly after the detention, the boy’s older sibling returned home to find both his father and brother gone, leaving their mother frightened. Liam’s teacher, Ella Sullivan, said the removal has shocked students and staff.

Stenvik also reported additional ICE detentions in the district in recent weeks, including a 17-year-old taken alone from a car, a 10-year-old removed while traveling with her mother, and another 17-year-old and her mother detained from their apartment. She said ICE vehicles have been seen near school property, including one driving onto a high school loading dock, prompting administrators to intervene.

The superintendent expressed concern for student safety and well-being, saying the presence of ICE agents has created fear in the community, leading to lower attendance and the decision to hold recess indoors at one school. “Our children should not be afraid to come to school or to wait at a bus stop,” she said.