Superintendent Zena Stenvik says fourth-grader Elizabeth Zuna and her mother, detained by ICE on Jan. 6, are expected to be released from the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in south Texas. Their return to Minnesota may be delayed due to a measles outbreak at the facility, and Elizabeth's current health status is unknown. While officials welcomed the news, several other students and dozens of parents from Columbia Heights remain in federal custody, prompting calls for a humane, peaceful resolution.
ICE to Release Columbia Heights Fourth-Grader Detained With Her Mother, Superintendent Says
Federal authorities are preparing to release fourth-grader Elizabeth Zuna and her mother, who were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Jan. 6, the Columbia Heights school district superintendent said late Tuesday.
Superintendent Zena Stenvik said Elizabeth and her mother were "picked up by ICE on their way to school" and were being held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in south Texas, a facility that houses parents and children taken into federal custody over alleged immigration-law violations.
Stenvik cautioned that it was unclear when the family would return to Minnesota, in part because a measles outbreak at the detention center "may require a quarantine period." She added that the district does not yet know Elizabeth's current health status.
Local Impact and Broader Concerns
The Columbia Heights district has been closely following the case after a high-profile detention last month involving 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father. Liam and his father were later released from Dilley and returned home after a federal judge ordered their release.
While officials welcomed news of Elizabeth's expected release, Stenvik said the district's struggle is not over: before Elizabeth's release, four other Columbia Heights students remained in federal custody at Dilley; her release would reduce that number to three. She also said that dozens of parents of Columbia Heights elementary students have been taken into custody by federal agents.
"Having Liam return to his family has provided us with a glimmer of hope, but it is bittersweet," Stenvik said. She urged a peaceful, diplomatic solution to reduce the fear and disruption caused by increased immigration enforcement in the community.
The superintendent also noted that Columbia Heights schools reopened Tuesday after a racially and politically motivated bomb threat forced a closure the day before.
Local officials are monitoring the family's health and coordinating with authorities about travel and quarantine requirements. The district continues to call for the safe and humane treatment of children and families in detention and for the release of those it considers unjustly held.
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