The Department of Homeland Security says it is seeking to deport a five-year-old Ecuadorian boy detained in Minnesota, a move his lawyer called "extraordinary" and possibly retaliatory. DHS says the case involves routine removal proceedings and denies any expedited action. The child and his father, both asylum applicants, were held at an ICE facility in Dilley, Texas, until a judge ordered their release on Jan. 31; they returned to Minnesota afterward. The case has drawn national attention amid wide federal immigration deployments and local protests.
DHS Seeks Deportation Of 5-Year-Old Ecuadorian Boy Detained In Minnesota — Lawyers Call Move 'Extraordinary'
Liam Conejo Ramos is held by his father Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias while boarding an aircraft to return to Minneapolis, after the pair who had been detained by immigration officers were ordered released by a judge from a Texas detention center, in San Antonio, Texas, U.S., February 1, 2026 in a still image from video. ABC News via REUTERS
WASHINGTON, Feb 6 (Reuters) — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Friday it is seeking to deport a five-year-old Ecuadorian boy who was detained by federal agents in Minnesota last month, a case that has drawn national attention and criticism from the child’s lawyer.
DHS, which oversees federal immigration enforcement, denied that it was pursuing expedited removal. "These are regular removal proceedings," spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said, adding: "This is standard procedure and there is nothing retaliatory about enforcing the nation’s immigration laws."
"This is extraordinary," said Danielle Molliver, the boy’s attorney, who told The New York Times the administration appeared to be trying to fast-track the deportation and suggested the action could be "retaliatory."
The child, identified as Liam Conejo Ramos, and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, entered the United States as asylum applicants and were held at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Dilley, Texas. A judge ordered their release on Jan. 31 and they returned to Minnesota after being freed.
DHS has accused Conejo Arias of being in the U.S. illegally but provided no additional public details about the basis for the deportation proceedings. Lawyers for Liam and representatives at the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
FILE PHOTO: Liam Conejo Ramos, who was detained with his father by immigration officers during a raid in Minnesota and then taken to a detention center in Texas, is back at home after a judge ordered their release, in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, U.S., in this picture obtained from social media February 1, 2026. Joaquin Castro via BlueSky/via REUTERS/File Photo
The case captured widespread attention after photographs circulated showing the five-year-old outside his home wearing a blue bunny hat and carrying a Spider-Man backpack when federal agents detained him.
The development comes amid a larger federal immigration operation in Minnesota. President Donald Trump and senior administration officials have said they sought to reduce tensions after the deployment of thousands of immigration agents to the state — a move that has sparked protests. In separate incidents, immigration agents in Minnesota have been linked to the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens, further intensifying scrutiny and public outcry.
Observers and advocates say the deportation effort against such a young child is highly unusual and raises questions about enforcement priorities; officials say they are following routine legal processes.
Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington; Editing by Mark Porter
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