Minnesota child, 5, taken into custody by ICE while returning from school

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reportedly detained a five-year-old child in Minnesota as he returned home from school.

On Tuesday (20 January), Liam Ramos and his father were taken into custody in their driveway, according to Zena Stenvik, superintendent of the Columbia Heights school district, The Guardian reports.

Liam is reportedly one of four children in the district who have been detained amid a surge in enforcement activity in the region over the past two weeks. Stenvik said the pair had just arrived home from the school run, with the car still running.

An ICE agent allegedly removed Liam from the vehicle and instructed him to knock on the door "in order to see if anyone else was home – essentially using a five-year-old as bait".

Another adult, said to be living at the residence, was outside and asked the agent to allow them to take care of Liam to prevent his detention, but the request was reportedly refused.

Liam’s older brother returned home around 20 minutes later to discover that his father and younger brother were gone.

Two school principals from the district also attended the home to offer support.

As per the outlet, the lawyer representing the family said they had an active asylum case and shared documents indicating that the father and son had entered the US through a port of entry, an official border crossing.

"The family did everything they were supposed to in accordance with how the rules have been set out," said Marc Prokosch. "They did not come here illegally. They are not criminals."

"Every step of their immigration process has been doing what they’ve been asked to do, and so this is just … cruelty," he added.

In an emotional statement, Liam’s teacher, Ella Sullivan, said: "He’s a bright young student, and he’s so kind and loving, and his classmates miss him, and all I want is for him to be safe and back here."

On Wednesday, Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin issued a statement saying ICE was conducting a "targeted operation" involving Liam’s father, whom she described as an "illegal alien".

"ICE did NOT target a child," she said. "For the child’s safety, one of our ICE officers remained with the child while the other officers apprehended [his father]".

"Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children, or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates," she added.

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