ICE detains 5-year-old Minnesota boy as he arrives home from school – National
Liam Ramos — who recently turned five — and his father were taken into custody on the driveway of their Minneapolis home, the superintendent of Columbia Heights Public Schools told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday, the Guardian and multiple other local outlets reported.
Superintendent Zena Stenvik said she drove to Liam’s home after learning of the preschooler’s detention. Two other school principals also arrived to help.
When she arrived, the father’s car was still running, and he and Liam had already been detained, Stenvik told reporters.
According to the superintendent, an agent had taken Liam from the car, guided him to the front door of his house and then directed him to knock on the door, asking to be let inside.
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“Essentially using a five-year-old as bait,” she said, adding that another adult living in the home was present and pleaded with ICE agents not to take Liam, but her request was denied.
Liam’s older brother, who is in middle school, came home about 20 minutes later to find that his brother and father were missing, Stenvik added.
CBS News Minnesota said the Columbia Heights Public School District reported that two other children were taken on Tuesday, including a 17-year-old boy who was on his way to school.
U.S. Vice-President JD Vance, visiting Minneapolis to “support” ICE agents, told reporters on Thursday that the agency was targeting Liam’s father.
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“Are they supposed to let a five-year-old child freeze to death?” he asked.
“If the argument is that you can’t arrest people who have violated the law because they have children then every single parent is going to be completely given immunity from ever being the subject of law enforcement,” Vance said.
He added that he was also in the city to better understand the situation so he can “tone down the temperature a bit, reduce the chaos and said ICE agents are “operating in a very, very tough environment.”
“I wanted to show some support for these guys,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Ramos’ lawyer, Marc Prokosch, told the Guardian that his clients had an active asylum case and showed paperwork confirming that the father and son arrived in the U.S. at a port of entry, which is an official crossing point.
“The family did everything they were supposed to in accordance with how the rules have been set out,” he said. “They did not come here illegally. They are not criminals.”
He said there was no order of deportation against them, and he believes the father and son are together in detention.
Photos released by Liam’s school district show the young boy in a knitted blue hat with bunny ears and white pompoms outside his front door, with a masked ICE agent walking behind him. In another photograph, Liam is seen standing close to a car with a man dressed in all black holding onto his Spider-Man backpack.
Liam Ramos detained by ICE in Columbia Heights, Minnesota.
Courtesy of Columbia Heights Public Schools
“Why detain a five-year-old? You cannot tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal,” Stenvik said.
Tricia McLaughlin, Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, told the Guardian in a statement on Wednesday night that ICE was conducting a “targeted operation” to arrest Liam’s father, who she said was an “illegal alien.”
“ICE did NOT target a child,” she said.
McLaughlin also claimed the father “fled on foot – abandoning his child,” adding, “For the child’s safety, one of our ICE officers remained with the child while the other officers apprehended [his father].”
“Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children, or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates,” she added.
Liam Ramos was detained by ICE in Columbia Heights, Minnesota.
Courtesy of Columbia Heights Public Schools
Liam’s teacher described him as “so kind and loving,” and said his classmates miss him.
“He comes into class every day and just brightens the room,” the teacher added.
As the Trump administration continues its immigration crackdown in Minnesota, the government said in a court filing that Operation Metro Surge has made the state safer with the arrests of more than 3,000 people who were in the country illegally.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said the government is violating free speech and other constitutional rights with its unprecedented sweeps. He described the armed officers as poorly trained and said the “invasion” must cease.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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