Federal Judge Blocks Transfer and Removal of 5-Year-Old Child Detained by ICE in Minnesota
A federal judge has temporarily blocked immigration authorities from transferring or removing a 5-year-old Minnesota boy and his father while a legal challenge to their detention proceeds, raising legal questions about how immigration enforcement actions involving children are reviewed by the courts.
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery issued the order on Monday, directing the Department of Homeland Security, the attorney general, and other federal officials not to move Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, outside the federal judicial district in Texas while the case is pending. Court records show the father and son are being held at a family immigration detention facility in Dilley, Texas.
The order follows a lawsuit filed by Conejo Arias challenging the legality of his detention and the continued custody of his son. The case was brought as a habeas corpus petition, a legal action that allows individuals held by the government to ask a federal court to review whether that detention is lawful.
Immigration agents detained the family last week in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, after approaching them as they returned home from the child’s preschool. School officials and witnesses have alleged that officers removed the child from the vehicle and directed him to knock on the door of the family’s home to determine whether other adults were inside. Those officials said another adult at the residence offered to take custody of the child, but was refused.
Federal authorities dispute that account. The Department of Homeland Security has said Conejo Arias attempted to flee as agents approached, leaving the child behind. According to the agency, officers remained with the child to ensure his safety while the father was taken into custody. DHS has denied targeting the child or using him to facilitate further arrests.
Attorneys representing the family argue that the father and son were lawfully present in the United States and had no final order of removal at the time of their detention. Court filings state that the family entered the country through a port of entry using a government appointment system and sought asylum as permitted under federal law. School officials in Minnesota have also said the family has an active asylum application pending and has complied with required immigration procedures.
Judge Biery’s ruling does not resolve those disputed accounts. Instead, it temporarily halts any transfer or removal while the court reviews whether the detention and proposed movement of the family comply with federal law and constitutional protections. The order preserves the court’s authority to examine the case before any further action is taken.
The legal challenge centers on the writ of habeas corpus, a long-established safeguard rooted in the Constitution. Habeas petitions allow courts to determine whether the government has lawful authority to hold a person in custody. In immigration cases, they are often used to challenge detention practices, including prolonged custody or transfers that may interfere with court oversight. The judge’s order reflects the court’s role in ensuring that detention decisions remain subject to judicial review.
The case also raises questions about the treatment of families with pending asylum claims. Federal law allows individuals to apply for asylum and generally permits them to remain in the country while those claims are reviewed, unless specific enforcement grounds apply. Courts have emphasized that while immigration authorities have broad enforcement powers, those powers are limited by due process requirements, including access to the courts.
Another issue addressed by the court involves the transfer of detainees across state lines. Attorneys argue that rapid transfers can disrupt legal representation and complicate judicial review by shifting which court has authority over a case. Judges may issue orders restricting transfers to ensure that legal challenges can be heard without interference.
The detention of Liam Conejo Ramos comes amid a broader pattern of immigration enforcement actions involving minors. Officials in Columbia Heights have reported that several children in the school district, including high school students and younger children, were detained by immigration authorities in recent weeks. In a related case cited by attorneys, a two-year-old child was briefly transferred to Texas with her father despite a court order directing her release. She was later returned to her mother, while her father remained in custody.
Federal officials maintain that family detention is permitted under existing law and consistent with past enforcement practices. Immigration statutes allow families to be detained together under certain conditions, and parents may be asked whether they wish to remain with their children or designate another caregiver. Attorneys and advocates continue to challenge how those policies are applied when children and unresolved asylum claims are involved.
Public officials in Minnesota have criticized the arrests, while federal authorities have defended their actions as lawful. Those political responses are not directly at issue in the lawsuit, which focuses on whether the family's detention and proposed transfer comply with statutory and constitutional requirements.
It has been widely reported that the health of Liam Conejo Ramos has been declining while he remains in the detention center.
