MINNEAPOLIS — A massive wave of civil dissent swept through Minneapolis on Friday as thousands of demonstrators defied freezing temperatures to condemn a federal immigration operation. The coordinated public outcry, which prompted numerous local businesses to temporarily close, was ignited by the controversial detention of a five-year-old migrant child, Liam Conejo Ramos.
The operation, led by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has drawn intense scrutiny following revelations about the tactics employed during the arrest of Ramos and his Ecuadorian father, Adrian Conejo Arias. According to Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenvik, both asylum seekers were intercepted in their driveway upon returning home Tuesday. Stenvik further alleged that the young child was utilized as ‘bait’ by officers to lure other individuals from their residence.
This incident has amplified existing tensions surrounding the weeks-long federal operation in Minnesota, which had already faced criticism after an ICE agent fatally shot a US citizen during the crackdown. The circulation of images depicting a visibly terrified Ramos in custody has become a potent symbol for protesters, many of whom carried signs referencing the child’s age.
While Vice President JD Vance, during a Thursday visit to Minneapolis, confirmed Ramos’s detention, he defended federal agents’ actions, suggesting they were protecting the child after his father attempted to flee. ‘What are they supposed to do? Are they supposed to let a five-year-old child freeze to death?’ Vance stated.
The operation has attracted international attention, with UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk urging US authorities to cease what he described as ‘harmful treatment of migrants and refugees.’ Current ICE records indicate Arias is being held at a Texas detention facility, though the database does not disclose the location of minors in custody.