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Published 15:50 07 Apr 2026 GMT
Parents give heartbreaking update on five-year-old boy involved in viral ICE detainment photo
The parents of Liam Conejo Ramos, the five-year-old who was wearing a bunny-ear hat and a Spiderman backpack as he was detained by ICE outside his Minneapolis home, have shared a heartbreaking update.
Ramos and his father, Adrián Conejo Arias, were taken into custody on January 20 while returning home from preschool.
They were later transported from their Columbia Heights suburb to a family detention center in Dilley, Texas, where they spent nearly two weeks before a judge ordered their release.
Since returning home, his parents say the young boy has changed. "As parents, it worries us a lot that he's no longer as he was before and we're worried this could last a long time," Conejo Arias told CBS News. "It does worry us that this will not heal quickly."
"My boy is very different," his mother, Erika Ramos, added.
Ongoing Trauma and Fear
According to his family, Ramos now lives in constant fear of being detained again and has been seeing a psychologist regularly.
He was asked by a CBS News interviewer about what scares him most, and answered: "La inmigración."
His parents say the trauma shows up in everyday moments, especially when he encounters law enforcement. "He sees police officers, and he says, 'It's ICE, Mommy,'" Erika said.
They also report changes in his behavior, including hypervigilance and not wanting to be around others.
Disputed Claims and Political Response
ICE previously claimed Conejo Arias abandoned his son while trying to flee, saying an officer remained with the child "for the child’s safety," per The Independent.
But Ramos' father has firmly denied that account. "It's not true what people are saying," he said. "I never did and never would."
During a January 22 press conference in Minneapolis, Vice President JD Vance defended the actions of immigration agents.
After referring to Conejo Arias as "an illegal alien in the United States of America," he said: "It’s traumatic for the kids. I can recognize that, and I can recognize that we’ve got to support these kids while, on the other hand, saying that just because you’re a parent doesn’t mean that you get complete immunity from law enforcement," cited by PEOPLE.
One of the family’s attorneys, Paschal Nwokocha, said the family entered the United States legally in 2024 as asylum seekers through a border crossing in Brownsville, Texas, using the CBP One app.
The program, introduced during the Biden administration, allowed migrants to schedule appointments to enter the country.
However, their legal future remains uncertain as attorney Danielle Molliver told ABC News that an immigration judge has granted a motion to terminate the family’s asylum claim, though an appeal has been filed.