There is no end to incidents of arrests and violence by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents ().
This time it was the turn of a 5-year-old from Minnesota, who was arrested along with his father on their way home from school and taken to a detention center in Texas, according to school officials.
Liam and his father had just arrived home when they were arrested, according to school inspector Zena Stenwick, who went to the house herself as soon as she was told of the arrests.
When Stenwick arrived she said the father’s car was still on and father and son had already been arrested. An agent had taken Liam out of the car, led him to the front door of his house and told him to ring the doorbell asking to be let in, “to see if there was anyone else in the house – essentially using a five-year-old child as bait,” the inspector said in a statement.
“Why arrest a five-year-old? You can’t tell me that this kid can be labeled a violent criminal,” Stenwick said.
His older brother Liam, a high school student, returned home 20 minutes later to find his father and brother missing, Stanwyck said. Two district school principals also arrived at the home to offer support.
School officials released two photos of the incident: one showing Liam, wearing a blue beanie, outside his front door with a masked agent next to him, and the other showing Liam standing next to a car with a man holding his backpack.
ICE agents in Minnesota grabbed 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos in his driveway as he returned from school with his father.
Another adult who lives in the home was outside and begged to take the child, but agents refused and instead used the boy as bait to knock on doors to see if…
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump)
“They did not come illegally”
Attorney Mark Prokos said the family has an active asylum case and presented documents showing the father and son had entered the U.S. through an official point of entry
“The family did exactly what they had to do according to the rules as they are set,” he said. “They didn’t come here illegally. They are not criminals.” He added that there is no deportation order against them and he believes father and son are staying together while in custody.
