Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, have returned home to Minnesota after being detained by federal immigration enforcement officials last month.
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U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro said in a statement on social media that he escorted Liam and his father back home from an immigration detention facility in Texas — where they had been held for nearly two weeks. Their release comes after a judge ordered them freed.
"Yesterday, five-year-old Liam and his dad Adrian were released from Dilley detention center," Castro said. "I picked them up last night and escorted them back to Minnesota this morning. Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack. Thank you to everyone who demanded freedom for Liam. We won’t stop until all children and families are home."
Yesterday, five-year-old Liam and his dad Adrian were released from Dilley detention center. I picked them up last night and escorted them back to Minnesota this morning. Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack. Thank you to everyone who demanded freedom for Liam. We… pic.twitter.com/XmUvXEthma
— Joaquin Castro (@JoaquinCastrotx) February 1, 2026
Liam’s arrest 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 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 said Adrian Conejo Arias was in the U.S. illegally. However, the family’s attorney said he had a pending asylum claim allowing him to remain in the country while his case is processed.
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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.
The DHS launched Operation Metro Surge in December — a large-scale immigration enforcement effort — reporting over 3,000 arrests, including suspects described as murderers, rapists and gang members.
