Judge issues temporary order barring removal of boy, 5, and father who were detained in Minnesota

A federal judge has issued a temporary order prohibiting removal of a 5-year-old Ecuadorian boy and his father whose arrest last week in Minnesota quickly become another lightning rod for America’s divisions on immigration under the Trump administration.

U.S. Judge Fred Biery ruled Monday that any removal or transfer of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, is on hold while a court case proceeds.

The father and son are now at family detention facility in Dilley, Texas, near San Antonio.

They were taken into custody last week outside their home in Minnesota. Neighbors and school officials say that federal immigration officers used the preschooler as “bait” by telling him to knock on the door to his house so that his mother would answer.

The Department of Homeland Security has called that description of events an “abject lie.” It said the father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, fled on foot and left the boy, Liam Conejo Ramos, in a running vehicle in their driveway.

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Ramos’ attorney, Jennifer Scarborough, and the Department of Homeland Security didn’t immediately respond to phone or email messages from The Associated Press seeking comment about the ruling.

Federal officials say the father was in the U.S. illegally, without offering details. Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, said the man entered the country without proper documents in December 2024.

The family’s attorney said he had a pending asylum claim allowing him to stay in the country.(backslash)

Heather Hollingsworth And Valerie Gonzalez, The Associated Press