Democrats and local officials in Minneapolis expressed outrage over the detention of a five-year-old boy in a massive immigration crackdown, as US Vice President JD Vance defended the actions of federal agents.
Thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been deployed to the Democratic-led city, as President Donald Trump’s administration continues its campaign to deport what it says are millions of illegal immigrants across the country.
Vance confirmed Thursday that five-year-old boy Liam Conejo Ramos was among those arrested, but claimed agents were protecting the boy after his father “ran away” from an immigration checkpoint.
“What are they supposed to do? Are they supposed to let a five-year-old freeze to death?” he said.
Texas Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro rejected that explanation, calling Homeland Security officials “sick liars.”
Castro said he has not been able to locate the boy, who is believed to be held with his father in San Antonio, Texas.
“My team and I have been working to determine his whereabouts, make sure he is safe and also demand his release by ICE,” he said in a video posted on X.
But ICE “did not provide us with information,” he said.
Former US Vice President Kamala Harris said she was “outraged” by Ramos’ detention.
“Liam Ramos is just a baby. He should be home with his family, not used as bait by ICE and held in a Texas detention center,” she wrote on X.
Harris shared a photo of the child wearing a blue knitted hat with dangling white bunny ears, while a person behind him appears to be holding his backpack.
Another photo circulating online shows Ramos being escorted by a man wearing black clothing and a black mask.
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused law enforcement of “terrorizing a population” and “using children as pawns”.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the federal government was treating children “like criminals.”
Frey said the influx of 3,000 federal agents resembled an “occupation,” the Minnesota Star PK Press Club newspaper reported.
The Department of Homeland Security has rejected allegations that ICE agents targeted the child, saying he was “abandoned” by his father during an operation to arrest the man.
“For the safety of the child, one of our ICE agents stayed with the child while the other agents apprehended (his father) Conejo Arias,” he posted on X.
“Parents are asked if they wish to be removed with their children, otherwise ICE will place the children with a safe person designated by the parents.”
“Wreaking havoc”
Ramos is one of at least four children arrested this month in the same Minneapolis school district, US media reported, citing local administrators.
Zena Stenvik, superintendent of the Columbia Heights Public Schools district, said the children were “apprehended and taken away by masked, armed ICE agents without identification badges.”
“The onslaught of ICE activity in our community is causing trauma and taking a toll on our children,” she told reporters.
The children’s detention comes as the US Attorney General announced the arrest of three activists accused of disrupting a church service during a protest accusing a pastor of working for ICE.
Videos from that protest showed dozens of demonstrators chanting “ICE out!” » in the church.
Minneapolis has been rocked by increasingly tense protests since federal agents shot and killed US citizen Renee Good on January 7.
The officer who fired the shots that killed Good, Jonathan Ross, has not been suspended or charged with any crime. Trump and his officials quickly defended his actions as self-defense.
The attorney for Ramos and his father, Marc Prokosch, said the two men are not U.S. citizens and followed the legal process to seek asylum in Minneapolis, which is a sanctuary city, meaning police do not cooperate with federal immigration operations.
Vance claimed that such local efforts hampered ICE’s efforts.
“The lack of cooperation between state and local officials is making our jobs more difficult and raising the temperature,” Vance said.
Minnesota has requested a temporary restraining order for the ICE operation in the state which, if granted by a federal judge, would halt the cleanup operations. There will be a hearing on the request on Monday.
