Activists light candles on frozen Lake Nokomis, spelling, "Ice Out" on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo)
A US federal judge has ordered immigration authorities to release a five-year-old boy and his father who were detained during an enforcement operation in Minneapolis, calling the arrests deeply troubling.
The child, Liam Conejo Ramos, was taken into custody outside his home along with his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias. A photograph of the boy wearing a blue bunny-shaped hat and carrying a Spider-Man backpack sparked widespread outrage after it emerged online.
US District Judge Fred Biery ordered the pair to be released from an immigration detention centre in Texas by 3 February, following an emergency request filed by the family’s lawyer.
In his ruling, Judge Biery criticised the manner in which the arrests were carried out. “The case has its genesis in the ill-conceived and incompetently implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas,” he wrote, adding that the actions appeared to involve “traumatising children”.
The judge also questioned the wider approach to immigration enforcement, saying deportations should take place through a more orderly and humane system. Referring to the detention of the child, he wrote that it reflected “the perfidious lust for unbridled power” and a lack of “human decency”, the BBC reported.
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US immigration officials said the operation was aimed at the boy’s father, whom they described as an “illegal alien”. They denied targeting a child and claimed the father had “abandoned” his son when officers approached.
However, the family’s lawyer, Marc Prokosch, told the BBC that both father and son had entered the US legally in 2024 from Ecuador to seek asylum and had been following immigration procedures. He said they were being held at a detention centre in San Antonio, Texas.
The arrests took place amid a sharp increase in immigration enforcement in Minneapolis under an initiative known as “Operation Metro Surge”, launched by the US President Donald Trump’s administration.
In recent days, Trump officials have indicated that federal forces could be reduced in the state following public anger over enforcement actions, including fatal shootings involving federal agents.
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In a separate ruling, another federal judge rejected a request by the state government to block the deployment of immigration agents in Minnesota, saying there was insufficient evidence to show the operation was unlawful.
The Department of Homeland Security has been contacted for comment, the BBC said.
The Express Global Desk at The Indian Express delivers authoritative, verified, and context-driven coverage of key international developments shaping global politics, policy, and migration trends. The desk focuses on stories with direct relevance for Indian and global audiences, combining breaking news with in-depth explainers and analysis.
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Nischai Vats – Deputy Copy Editor specialising in US politics, US visa and immigration policy, and policy-driven international coverage.
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Activists light candles on frozen Lake Nokomis, spelling, "Ice Out" on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo) 
