ICE detains five-year-old Minnesota boy on way home from school

ICE detained a five-year-old boy earlier this week on his way home in Minnesota from school, before driving him and his father to a detention centre, international media reported on Thursday.

The superintendent of the school district in Columbia Heights told a press conference that Liam Ramos was taken into custody with his father when they were in their driveway.

Photo courtesy of Columbia Heights Public Schools showing Liam Ramos being detained. Photo: X, formerly Twitter

Superintendent Zena Stenvik said she drove to their home when she learned of the detention, and when she arrived, the father's car was still running. Father and son had already been apprehended.

She said that an agent had allegedly taken Liam out of the car, led him to the front door and directed him to knock, asking to be let in, “in order to see if anyone else was home – essentially using a five-year-old as bait”.

The boy, who recently turned five, is reportedly one of four children in the school district who have been detained by federal immigration agents in the past two weeks. 

The family's attorney said they had an active asylum case. He shared documents with the media showing that the father and son had arrived in the US at an official crossing point.

“The family did everything they were supposed to in accordance with how the rules have been set out... They did not come here illegally. They are not criminals," Marc Prokosch said. 

It is believed that another adult living in the house begged the agents to leave Liam with them, but the ICE agents refused.

Later, the Department of Homeland Security said it was not targeting Liam, adding it was ICE’s policy to ask parents if they want to be removed with their children.