SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A judge on Saturday ordered the U.S. to release a 5-year-old boy and his father from a Texas detention center where they were taken after being detained in a Minneapolis suburb last month.
Images of Liam Conejo Ramos, with a bunny hat and Spiderman backpack, surrounded by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officers prompted widespread condemnation of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, leading to protests at the detention center and congressional visits from Texas Democrats.
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery, appointed by former President Bill Clinton, criticized the government's practices, stating, the case has its genesis in the ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children.
Previously, a judge had ruled that Conejo Arias and his son could not be removed from the U.S. for the time being. Neighbors alleged that immigration officers used the child as bait, an assertion denied by the Department of Homeland Security, which described the claims as false.
During a congressional visit, Liam was reported to be frequently tired and struggling to eat well at the facility, which houses around 1,100 people. Reports from detained families have included accounts of poor conditions, such as reported issues with food and inadequate medical care. A December ICE report revealed children had been held longer than the recommended limit of 20 days.
