Democrats Condemn ICE After Five-Year-Old Detained in Minnesota Raid
Democratic lawmakers are lashing out at Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the controversial detention of a five-year-old Minnesota boy alongside his father. The incident, which occurred in Columbia Heights, a Minneapolis suburb, has sparked outrage and calls for agency reform.
Controversial Operation Details
Liam Ramos was taken into custody on Tuesday as he and his father arrived home from school. According to school officials, an ICE agent reportedly used the child to knock on the family's front door to determine if anyone else was inside before detaining both father and son. The pair were subsequently flown to Texas, prompting immediate condemnation from Democratic representatives.
Lawmakers Demand Answers and Reform
Texas representative Joaquin Castro revealed that his office has been working to locate the boy and demand his release, but ICE has not provided information despite acknowledging the inquiry. Castro suspects the preschooler may have been sent to the Dilley detention center, a family detention facility approximately ninety minutes from San Antonio.
"ICE and the other federal agencies under Donald Trump have gotten super secretive," Castro stated in a video statement. "This is the least transparent that an administration has been in generations."
Castro, who is scheduled to visit the facility next week, called for ICE to be disbanded and receive zero funding, arguing the agency has become "reckless" and "lawless."
Widespread Political Condemnation
Arizona senator Ruben Gallego questioned whether the operation enhanced American safety, noting on social media that Liam Ramos is five years old and was "used as bait to knock on doors" before being shipped to Texas. Arizona representative Yassamin Ansari described the tactic as "absolutely disgusting," while California representative Jimmy Gomez echoed similar sentiments about the dark operation.
California representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove emphasized that the family had followed proper legal procedures, with attorney Marc Prokosch confirming they have an active asylum case and entered the United States at an official port of entry. "This isn't about criminals. It's about cruelty," Kamlager-Dove stated.
Conflicting Accounts and Broader Context
The Department of Homeland Security defended the action, with assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin claiming ICE was conducting a targeted operation to arrest the father and did not target the child. She alleged the father fled on foot, abandoning his child, and that an officer remained with Liam for safety.
However, school superintendent Zena Stenvik disputed this account, stating the father's car was still running when she arrived and both had already been apprehended. She revealed another adult at the home had pleaded to care for Liam but was denied.
"Why detain a five-year-old?" Stenvik asked at a press conference. "You cannot tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal."
District officials confirmed Liam is one of four children in the Columbia Heights school district detained by federal immigration agents during an enforcement surge in the region over the past two weeks, highlighting broader concerns about immigration enforcement practices.
