“Poor Boy Looked So Scared”: 5-Year-Old’s ICE Detainment in Minnesota Divides the Internet

• Liam Conejo Ramos, a five-year-old boy from Minnesota, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement
• The Department of Homeland Security claimed that the boy's father abandoned him during the raid, while school officials claim the agents used him as bait outside his house
• Some people sided with the Trump administration, and others sided with the school officials

Pictures of a five-year-old boy, Liam Conejo Ramos, from Minnesota, United States, have gone viral after the Trump administration's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers detained him and his Ecuadorian father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, outside their house on 20 January 2026.

School officials alleged that the federal agents used the preschooler as bait to detain other family members inside the home, which sparked a debate among social media users.

During a press conference, Mary Granlund, the Board Chair for Columbia Heights Public Schools, said that there were many opportunities for ICE agents to hand the child over to responsible adults after he was reportedly removed from a running car. CNN reports that Zena Stenvik, a Columbia Heights school district superintendent, claimed that the agents led Liam to the home's front door, directed him to knock and ask to be let in to see if anyone else was inside.

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"Essentially using a five-year-old as bait," she alleged.

Watch the TikTok video of Mary's address posted on Fox 9's account below:

The Department of Homeland Security shared in an X post that Liam wasn't targeted, instead claiming that he was abandoned after Adrian fled the scene.

"For the child’s safety, one of our ICE officers remained with the child while the other officers apprehended Conejo Arias."

Adrian and Liam are reportedly being held at an ICE facility in Texas.

The detainment is part of Trump's ongoing 'mission' to remove individuals assumed to have entered the country illegally.

'Bait' claim divides the internet

The unfortunate split between family members caused a division among social media users. Some sided with school officials, while others stood firm with the Trump administration.

@nashmeral2 asked the internet:

"What kind of a dad runs and leaves his child behind?"

@hotcornr5 posed the question:

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"How is this not kidnapping?"

A heartbroken @meg776688 said:

"Aww, the poor boy looked so scared."

@badassmotherrunner75 told the public:

"This is so outrageous, and it’s getting worse every day. Something needs to be done!"

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Source: Briefly News