ICE Detains 5-Year-Old Boy and Father in Minnesota Amid Conflicting Accounts

ICE Detention of Father and Son in Minnesota

• 📌 A 5-year-old boy and his father, Ecuadorian asylum seeker Adrien Alexander Kaneo Aas, were detained by ICE in Minnesota.
• 💔 School officials and a lawyer for the family believe ICE agents used the child as bait to draw out other family members.
• 🏠 The father and son are reportedly being held at a family detention center in Dilley, Texas, making communication difficult.

Conflicting Narratives of the Incident

• 📹 Cell phone video shows federal agents surrounding the 5-year-old, Liam Ramos, who was wearing a bunny hat and Spider-Man backpack.
• 🗣️ The Department of Homeland Security stated that ICE did not target the child, claiming the father fled on foot and wanted the child to remain with him.
• 🚫 DHS also claimed they attempted to reunite the child with his mother, but she refused to take custody.
• 🏫 School board chair Mary Granland contradicted DHS, stating she offered to take the child and witnessed ICE agents drive away with him.

Broader Context and Reactions

• 🏫 The detained preschooler was the fourth student from the Columbia Heights public school district to be detained by immigration officials recently.
• 🚨 School officials report that ICE agents have been frequently present around schools and neighborhoods, detaining children.
• 🗣️ Vice President J.D. Vance visited Minnesota, urging state leaders to deescalate and suggesting cooperation with state and local officials to reduce chaotic moments.
• 🗺️ The father and son entered the U.S. in 2024 through the Brownsville border crossing in South Texas and submitted an asylum claim via the CBP1 app.
• ✊ Protests are planned in the Twin Cities amidst dropping temperatures.