Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, whose detention by federal agents as he returned from preschool sparked outrage across the United States, has been released from immigration detention, a US congressman says.
Liam and his father were being held at an ICE facility in Texas, before a judge on Saturday ordered they be released in a scathing critique of the Trump administration's immigration policies.
They have since been released and have returned to Minnesota, according to Democratic Texas representative Joaquin Castro.
Liam and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, were first detained in Minneapolis on January 20, with supporters claiming the five-year-old boy was taken from a running car and made to knock on his front door to act as "bait" to see if his mother would open it.
The federal government said Liam's father entered the US illegally from Ecuador in December 2024, while the family's lawyer said he has an asylum claim pending that allows him to stay in the United States.
In a statement, US Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not target or arrest Liam Conejo Ramos, and that his mother refused to take him after his father's apprehension.
His father also told officers he wanted Liam to be with him, she said.
"The Trump administration is committed to restoring the rule of law and common sense to our immigration system, and will continue to fight for the arrest, detention, and removal of aliens who have no right to be in this country," Ms McLaughlin said.
The vast majority of asylum-seekers are released in the United States, with adults having eligibility for work permits, while their cases wind through a back-logged court system.
Ecuadorians, who have left their country in droves in recent years as it spiralled into violence, have fared poorly in immigration court, however, with judges granting asylum in just 12.5 per cent of decisions in the 12-month period to last September.
Minnesotans celebrate release
On Sunday afternoon, residents of Columbia Heights, Minnesota, gathered outside the house where Liam was first detained to celebrate his release and call attention to others from the community who remained in ICE detention.
"We cried so much when we heard that he was coming back," said Lourdes Sanchez, the owner of a cleaning business.
"My son is also named Liam, and he is five years old, so it felt personal for us."
Nearby, Luis Zuna held up photographs of his 10-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, who he said had been detained, along with her mother, Rosa, while driving to school on January 6.
He said they both remained in custody at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in San Antonio, Texas — the same facility where Liam and his father had been held.
"It's the same situation as Liam, but there were no pictures," said Carolina Gutierrez, a secretary at Elizabeth's school. "Seeing Liam released, it gives us faith."
Inquiries by the Associated Press to the Department of Homeland Security about that case were not immediately returned.
Brenda Marquez, another nearby resident, said she had driven with her husband and two young children to the house immediately upon hearing news of Liam's release, stopping on the way to pick up Spider-Man balloons.
"We wanted something that would bring a little happiness," she said.
"Being away from my son and not knowing what's going on with him, I just can't imagine it."
'You have moved the world'
Mr Castro wrote a letter to Liam while they were on the plane to Minnesota, in which he told the young boy he had "moved the world".
"Your family, school and many strangers said prayers for you and offered whatever they could do to see you back home," Mr Castro wrote.
"Don't let anyone tell you this isn't your home. America became the most powerful, prosperous nation on Earth because of immigrants, not in spite of them."
Photos on Mr Castro's social media showed Liam wearing his blue bunny hat once again.
Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota, welcomed Liam back to their home state, saying in a social media post that he "should be in school and with family — not in detention".
"Now ICE needs to leave," the senator added.
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, also a Democrat from Minnesota, posted a photo to social media of her with Liam, his father and Mr Castro, in which she is holding Liam's Spider-Man backpack.
"Welcome home Liam," she posted with two hearts.
In a statement, Columbia Heights Public Schools, Liam's school district, called his release "an important development", one that school officials hope will have positive developments for four other Columbia Heights students held at the same facility in Texas.
AP/ABC
