Federal immigration agents detained a five-year-old boy and his father in Minnesota, returning the child to a detention center in Texas.
Liam Ramos, a first-grader at Columbia Heights Elementary School, was taken into custody along with his 40-year-old father. The father had recently turned 40 and is one of four children from the same family who have been detained by federal immigration agents over the past two weeks, according to school officials.
When Liam's parents arrived home after school on Tuesday, they were met with a shocking scene: ICE agents had already apprehended them outside their driveway while his father was still running his car.
According to Zena Stenvik, the superintendent of Columbia Heights Elementary School, she drove to the Ramos family residence when she learned about the detentions and found the father's car still idling. The agent told Liam to knock on the door and ask if anyone else was home - essentially using a five-year-old as bait.
The superintendent described the scene as "heart-wrenching" and "traumatizing". She stated that Liam's older brother, who had arrived at school 20 minutes later, found his father missing. Two school principals from Columbia Heights were also present to offer support to the family.
Liam's family has an active asylum case, according to attorney Marc Prokosch. He said that the family had followed all procedures correctly and did not come to the US illegally. The father was being held at a detention center in Texas with no order of deportation against him, Mr Prokosch claimed.
The superintendent criticized ICE for detaining a five-year-old child, stating that it is "unacceptable" to use a minor as bait for their agents. Tricia McLaughlin, Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, defended the operation, calling Liam's father an "illegal alien".
Liam Ramos, a first-grader at Columbia Heights Elementary School, was taken into custody along with his 40-year-old father. The father had recently turned 40 and is one of four children from the same family who have been detained by federal immigration agents over the past two weeks, according to school officials.
When Liam's parents arrived home after school on Tuesday, they were met with a shocking scene: ICE agents had already apprehended them outside their driveway while his father was still running his car.
According to Zena Stenvik, the superintendent of Columbia Heights Elementary School, she drove to the Ramos family residence when she learned about the detentions and found the father's car still idling. The agent told Liam to knock on the door and ask if anyone else was home - essentially using a five-year-old as bait.
The superintendent described the scene as "heart-wrenching" and "traumatizing". She stated that Liam's older brother, who had arrived at school 20 minutes later, found his father missing. Two school principals from Columbia Heights were also present to offer support to the family.
Liam's family has an active asylum case, according to attorney Marc Prokosch. He said that the family had followed all procedures correctly and did not come to the US illegally. The father was being held at a detention center in Texas with no order of deportation against him, Mr Prokosch claimed.
The superintendent criticized ICE for detaining a five-year-old child, stating that it is "unacceptable" to use a minor as bait for their agents. Tricia McLaughlin, Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, defended the operation, calling Liam's father an "illegal alien".
what is going on here?! 
I cant believe they detained a 5-year-old boy in Minnesota and sent him back to Texas. That's just too much, you feel? 
The fact that they used a little kid as bait for their agents is just heart-wrenching...I mean, I know the dad had an active asylum case, but detaining a child is never okay, right? 
It's not right, fam! 
they cant be using kids like this what kinda monster do thats...i mean, i dont think its legal or right but is there noone gonna stop them? its a 5 year old we r talkin about here his fam got to school on time his dad was runnin the car and then these ppl just show up out of nowhere...ive been readin thru this thread like days after it happened but still gets me angry 
It's a huge human error on the part of ICE to think that using a kid like that would be an effective way to get what they want... it's just not right. 
Can we please focus on finding solutions that work for everyone, not just enforcing borders at all costs? 
my heart goes out to that poor little boy & his family 
. the fact that they had followed all procedures correctly doesn't make it okay for them to be detained like this 
ICE needs to rethink their tactics and prioritize human lives over immigration policies.