The Trump administration is seeking to expedite the removal of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, days after a federal judge in Texas ordered their release from an immigration detention center, according to the family’s attorney and court filings.
The government moved this week to terminate the family’s asylum claims, a step that could clear the way for removal proceedings.
Attorney Paschal Nwokocha said the filing showed the administration was intent on removing the family from the United States, adding that the court granted additional time for the defense to respond. The father and son returned to Minnesota on Sunday after spending 10 days in an ICE detention facility in Dilley, Texas.
Rep. Joaquin Castro, who accompanied the pair back to Minnesota, said the administration was seeking to detain the child again. He wrote that the boy had fallen ill while in custody and missed his mother and school during the detention period.
The Department of Homeland Security said the court action was part of routine enforcement and not retaliatory, calling the case “regular removal proceedings.”
The pair were detained Jan. 20 during a federal operation in Minnesota. A widely shared image of the child wearing a backpack after being taken into custody prompted national criticism of immigration enforcement practices.
The administration has faced heightened scrutiny over deportation efforts following recent incidents involving federal agents in Minnesota, which triggered protests and calls for changes to DHS operations.
