Public anger is mounting in the United States over strict immigration enforcement under the administration of Donald Trump, following the detention of a five-year-old boy by federal immigration officers, triggering protests in several cities.
According to officials and school authorities, the child, Liam Conejo Ramos, was detained along with his father by officers of Immigration and Customs Enforcement while returning home from school in Columbia Heights, near Minneapolis, Minnesota. The incident occurred amid intensified immigration raids carried out across the country.
Witnesses said ICE officers intercepted the father and son as they reached their residence. The officers allegedly attempted to use the child to summon his mother out of the house. However, the father warned his wife not to open the door. Subsequently, both the father and the child were taken into custody, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from civil rights groups and educators.
Authorities claimed the action was taken as the child’s father was staying in the country without valid documents. However, the family’s lawyer stated that the family had migrated to the United States in 2024 and had formally applied for asylum, with their case still pending.
Officials later confirmed that the father and child were transferred to an immigration detention facility in Texas. School authorities said that apart from Liam, four other children — including two 17-year-olds and a 10-year-old — were also detained in recent enforcement actions, deepening concern over the treatment of minors.
Images and videos showing the visibly frightened child wearing a blue cap and carrying a Spiderman backpack have gone viral on social media, fuelling protests and condemnation nationwide.
Former US Vice President Kamala Harris strongly criticised the detention, calling it an “extreme and unacceptable act.” The incident has intensified the national debate over immigration policy, enforcement tactics, and the treatment of asylum-seeking families in the United States.
