A single viral photo of a 5-year-old in a blue bunny hat has now collided with federal power—forcing a judge to step in and stop ICE from moving or deporting him.
Quick Take
- A federal judge in Texas temporarily blocked ICE from deporting or transferring 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father from the Dilley Immigration Processing Center.
- ICE detained the Ecuadorian father and child in Minnesota during a major enforcement operation, sparking national attention after photos of the child spread online.
- DHS and the family offer sharply conflicting accounts of what happened during the detention, including whether the father “abandoned” the child or officers refused a handoff to another adult.
- The case spotlights a deeper issue: how the CBP One-era release pipeline intersects with Trump-era enforcement, due process, and family detention practices.
Why a Texas judge halted removal and transfer
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery issued a temporary order on January 26 blocking ICE from deporting or transferring Liam Conejo Ramos and his father while litigation continues. Reports place the pair at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas, a facility used for family units. The order does not appear to grant release; it pauses removal and movement so the court can review the underlying legal claims.
A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily barred federal immigration officials from deporting 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father or transferring them away from the Texas region where they're currently held.
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 27, 2026
The legal posture matters because it frames what the court is actually weighing: not a broad policy referendum, but whether the government can rapidly move a detainee beyond a court’s reach while a challenge is pending.
For Americans who value constitutional guardrails, this is the kind of procedural check that prevents executive actions—by any administration—from becoming immune to review once a person is transferred.
What happened in Minnesota, and why the narrative is disputed
ICE detained Liam and his father on January 20 in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, shortly after the boy arrived home from preschool. The image that went viral showed Liam wearing a blue bunny hat and backpack, turning a local detention into a national flashpoint.
The operation was described as large-scale, with heightened tensions in the Minneapolis area as communities watched federal agents make arrests and transport detainees.
DHS has asserted the father fled and “abandoned” the child, and that officers then cared for Liam while trying to determine safe placement. DHS officials also said agents followed policy by asking about placement options and providing basic care, including food.
The family’s side, echoed by local school voices and supporters, disputes that account and says ICE used the child to draw the father out and refused a proposed handoff to another adult.
The CBP One-era pipeline meets Trump-era enforcement
Multiple reports state the father and child entered through a port of entry using the CBP One app process for asylum and were released into the U.S. under the prior administration.
Those details are central because they separate “illegal entry” from a case where a person was admitted into the process and later became subject to enforcement while proceedings remained pending. Outlets also reported no existing deportation order—only an ongoing civil immigration case.
That context helps explain why the case has inflamed both sides. Critics of the Biden-era border approach argue that mass parole-and-release systems created a sprawling backlog that undermined credibility and enforcement.
Supporters respond that applicants should be allowed to present claims without being treated as fugitives. What is clear from the reporting is that the legal pathway used for entry is now directly colliding with the current administration’s enforcement push.
Community pressure, presidential messaging, and limits of what we know
Columbia Heights Public Schools became a visible hub of community response after the photo spread, with the superintendent describing an outpouring of support and a campaign that included origami “conejos.”
The child’s mother and brother were not detained, and a pastor described the mother as terrified. At the national level, President Trump said he would “de-escalate a little bit” in Minneapolis following controversy around the operation.
Some of the most inflammatory claims in circulation remain unresolved because they turn on disputed on-scene facts: whether the father ran, whether officers refused a safe transfer to another adult, and how decisions were made in the moment.
The judge’s temporary order does not answer those questions; it freezes removal and transfer while lawyers fight it out. For voters demanding both border enforcement and constitutional due process, the court fight is the mechanism meant to separate emotion from verifiable fact.
Sources:
Judge blocks deportation of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father
liam ramos 5-year-old minnesota judge deportation
Judge blocks removal of 5-year-old detained by ICE in Minnesota
Judge temporarily blocks deportation of 5-year-old child detained by ICE
