At a Glance
- ICE detains four students in Minneapolis-area district, including a 5-year-old.
- Parents and legal counsel question the legality and safety of the arrests.
- DHS says ICE targeted the father, not the child.
Why it matters: The incidents raise concerns about school safety and immigration enforcement practices.
The Minneapolis-area public school district announced that ICE agents recently seized four students, including a 5-year-old, sparking questions about the legality and safety of the arrests. Superintendent Zena Stenvik confirmed the detentions, while a federal spokesperson said the focus was on the father, not the child. The incidents have drawn community concern over school security and immigration enforcement.
ICE Detains Four Students in Minneapolis-area District
During a Wednesday news conference, Stenvik said that ICE agents had taken four of its students in recent weeks. She noted that two of the students were on their way to school when they were seized.
The most recent incident involved a 5-year-old named Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias. They were taken from their driveway after the child returned from preschool.
Stenvik added that an adult living in the home begged the agents to allow him to care for the child, but the agents refused. A bystander photographed the event and gave the school district permission to share the image with the media.
According to DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, ICE did not target a child. She said the agents were targeting the father, who fled on foot during the arrest, abandoning his son. For the child’s safety, one officer remained with the child while agents apprehended the father.
McLaughlin also explained that parents are asked whether they want to be removed with their children or if the children will be placed with a safe person designated by the parent. She said this is consistent with past administration’s immigration enforcement.
Stenvik noted that the family has an active asylum case and no order of deportation. She asked, “Why detain a 5-year-old? You can’t tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal.”
Family and Legal Response
Marc Prokosch, an immigration attorney representing the family, said he believes both father and son are currently held in Texas. “I’m exploring whether we file a habeas corpus petition to get him out,” he told Stenvik. “We’d have to file that in Texas now and then look through the family’s overall immigration case, because obviously Liam doesn’t have his own individual case. It’s the family as a whole.”
Prokosch did not immediately respond to a request for further comment. Stenvik said the family is following U.S. legal parameters and has an active asylum case with no order of deportation.
The family’s removal has also shocked the school community. Ella Sullivan, Liam’s teacher, said, “He comes into class every day, and he just brightens the room. His friends haven’t asked about him yet, but I know that they’ll catch on, and it’s just a very unfortunate situation. It should not be happening.”
School Impact and Community Reaction
Stenvik said attendance has dropped at district schools, and she recently decided to keep recess indoors because ICE agents were patrolling near a playground. She said the sense of safety in the community and around schools is shaken, and her heart is shattered.
She also said that 20 minutes after the boy and his father were taken, the middle school brother came home to a missing dad, a missing little brother, and a terrified mother. The district released a statement that the family was in a detention center in Texas, where they remain.
Stenvik also reported other incidents: a 17-year-old student was removed from their car and taken by armed, masked agents alone with no parents present; a 10-year-old student was taken while on her way to school with her mom, and both the girl and her mother were in a detention center in Texas; and last week agents pushed into an apartment and detained a 17-year-old student and her mother.
She also said an ICE vehicle drove onto school property and approached the high school loading dock. She added that school administration told those in the vehicle to leave.
Stenvik said ICE agents have been roaming neighborhoods, circling schools, following buses, and coming into parking lots to take children. She said the community’s sense of safety is shaken.
DHS Response
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin previously told NBC News that “ICE is not going to schools to make arrests of children. Criminals are no longer able to hide in America’s schools to avoid arrest.”
Broader Context
The incidents have drawn attention to the broader practice of ICE enforcement near schools. Stenvik’s comments highlight the tension between immigration enforcement and school safety. The district’s investigation into the three additional students detained by ICE is ongoing.
The school district’s statements and the DHS response illustrate the complexity of federal immigration enforcement in community settings. Parents, students, and officials are navigating legal and safety concerns while awaiting further clarification and action from federal authorities.
The community remains on edge as the district seeks answers and seeks to restore a sense of security for its students and families.
