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Clashes outside Texas detention center over detained father and son
Demonstrators and state troopers clashed Wednesday outside a Texas immigration facility where a 5-year-old boy and his father have been held since their arrest in Minnesota last week, sparking national outrage and lawmaker visits.
Background of the detention
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers detained Liam Ramos, 5, and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, in Minneapolis on January 20. The pair were later transferred to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated the two entered the U.S. illegally, while the family's attorney countered they followed proper asylum procedures after arriving from Ecuador in 2024.
Protests and lawmaker reactions
Hundreds of community organizers, union members, and faith leaders marched to the Dilley facility after holding a vigil nearby. Demonstrators demanded the release of detained families, with some clashing with state troopers. Footage from CNN showed officers forming a line against protesters, with one officer seen throwing an object into the crowd.
Texas Democratic Representatives Joaquin Castro and Jasmine Crockett visited the facility and met with Ramos and his father. Castro shared a photo of the boy asleep in his father's arms, writing, "I demanded his release and told him how much his family, his school, and our country loves him and is praying for him."
"My heart absolutely breaks for Liam, his family, and every person being wrongfully detained. We assured them that we are doing everything in our power to reunite them with their families."
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas)
Representative Greg Casar joined the lawmakers outside the facility, telling the crowd, "Today, we say with one voice, free Liam Ramos. Donald Trump ran for the presidency saying he was going to go after 'the worst of the worst.' Today he is holding a five-year-old in a prison."
Conflicting accounts of the arrest
Details of the initial ICE operation in Minnesota remain disputed. Zena Stenvik, superintendent of Columbia Heights Public Schools, said Ramos had just returned home from preschool when agents approached. School officials stated an ICE officer asked the boy to knock on the door of the home to check for other occupants.
Mary Granlund, a school board member present at the scene, said she offered to take the child, but ICE refused. Photos later shared by the school district show Ramos bundled in winter clothing, wearing a Spider-Man backpack, as an officer holds onto him.
ICE denied detaining the child, claiming in a social media post that the father "abandoned his child as he fled from ICE officers" and that officers ensured the boy's safety in freezing temperatures. The agency added that the father requested the child remain with him.
Marc Prokosch, the family's attorney, refuted ICE's account, stating the father and son "did everything right" in seeking asylum. Prokosch said they entered at a port of entry, used the CBP One app, attended court hearings, and posed no flight or safety risk.
Political and public response
Vice President JD Vance defended ICE's actions, telling reporters the agency had "no choice" because the father "ran." DHS described its Minnesota operation, dubbed Operation Metro Surge, as targeting "the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens" to restore public safety.
The operation has drawn criticism from Minneapolis and St. Paul residents, particularly after federal agents killed two U.S. citizens during enforcement actions. Wednesday's protest in Texas is part of broader demonstrations across the country against immigration policies.
