Columbia Heights, Minnesota — School officials in a Minneapolis-area suburb are accusing federal immigration agents of using a 5-year-old child as “bait” during an arrest operation, raising fresh concerns about tactics employed during a major immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota.
According to Columbia Heights Public Schools, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained preschool student Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, on January 13 after they returned home from school. District leaders said agents removed the child from a still-running vehicle and directed him to knock on the door of his home to determine whether other individuals were inside.
A school official described the incident as “essentially using a 5-year-old as bait,” a claim that has drawn sharp criticism from educators and local officials. Superintendent Zena Stenvik questioned the necessity of detaining such a young child, noting that the family has an active asylum case and no existing deportation order, according to records reviewed by the district.
The Department of Homeland Security disputed the characterization, stating that Conejo Arias fled when approached by officers and that an ICE agent remained with the child for safety reasons. DHS said agency policy allows parents to decide whether to be detained with their children or designate a trusted adult.
The incident comes amid Operation Metro Surge, a large-scale federal enforcement effort that has deployed thousands of agents across the Twin Cities. The operation has already sparked protests following multiple high-profile ICE-related shootings and the detention of several students in the district, some of whom were later transferred to out-of-state facilities.
Sources:
Discover more from News Facts Network
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
