Authorities in Minnesota say bomb threats have forced the closure of schools located in the same district where five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos is a student.
"In the early morning hours on February 2nd, staff from the Columbia Heights Public Schools became aware of a bomb threat that had been emailed to multiple schools in the district," the Columbia Heights Police Department (CHPD) said in a statement to Scripps News. "Due to the timing of the information, it was not possible to fully investigate the threats prior to student arrival, and a decision was made to prioritize the safety of staff and students and cancel school for the day."
CPHD said authorities immediately responded to investigate school campuses impacted by the closure and no suspicious packages or devices were found. However, police are actively looking into the source of the threats.
It comes just days after Liam and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, returned home to Minnesota, following their detention by federal immigration enforcement officials last month and subsequent transfer to a detention facility in Texas.
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The detention of Liam drew national attention after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents took the child from a running car in his driveway on Jan. 20 as he returned home from preschool. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said his father — originally from Ecuador and the target of the operation — had abandoned the boy.
School officials, however, claimed agents used Liam “as bait” to try to get relatives to open the door of the home, refusing to leave him with another adult while pursuing his father.
Federal officials claimed Adrian Conejo Arias was in the U.S. illegally. But the family’s attorney said he had a pending asylum claim allowing him to remain in the country while his case is processed.
The case became a flashpoint in the debate over the Trump administration’s immigration policies, which has also sparked widespread protests and calls for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign. Meanwhile, the detention facility where Liam and his father were held has also come under fire after it was forced into lockdown due to a measles outbreak impacting at least two detainees.
RELATED STORY | Measles cases prompt lockdown at ICE facility in Texas
While at the facility, Liam’s mother complained about conditions, saying her son became sick from the food. DHS has repeatedly defended the facility’s health care services, saying it provides comprehensive medical care to people in ICE custody.
“This includes medical, dental and mental health services as available, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care,” DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
