5-Year-Old and Father Freed After Judge Rebukes ICE Quotas

Overview

• U.S. District Judge Fred Biery ordered the release of Liam Conejo Ramos and his father by February 3, and they were freed Saturday before returning to Minneapolis on Sunday with Representative Joaquín Castro.
• ICE detained the pair on January 20 in Minneapolis during the Metro Surge operation and transferred them to the Dilley family detention center in Texas.
• In his ruling, Biery condemned the pursuit of daily deportation targets as mal conceived and harmful to children, citing constitutional concerns.
• DHS official Tricia McLaughlin said the child was not targeted and that the father asked for his son to remain with him, while local accounts reported agents used the boy to approach the home.
• The Ecuadorian family sought asylum in 2024 and, according to their attorney, had followed required procedures before spending roughly 10–12 days in custody.