A federal judge has ordered the immediate release of 5-year-old Liam Ramos and his father from an immigration detention center in Texas, ending a week-long ordeal that sparked national protests.
In a scathing ruling issued Saturday, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery ordered the government to release the preschooler and his father “as soon as practicable” and no later than Tuesday.
The pair were taken into custody more than a week ago in their suburban Minneapolis driveway. They were quickly transported 1,300 miles to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas—a facility designed for long-term family detention.
A Scathing Ruling
Judge Biery’s opinion was remarkably blunt, accusing the government of prioritizing “daily deportation quotas” over the well-being of children.
“The perfidious lust for unbridled power and the imposition of cruelty… know no bounds and are bereft of human decency,” Biery wrote.
In a rare move, the judge included a viral photo of Liam at the end of his opinion. The image—showing the boy looking frightened in a bunny-ear hat and a Spider-Man backpack while surrounded by federal agents—has become a national symbol of the recent immigration crackdown in Minnesota.
The judge also criticized the use of “administrative warrants,” which allow ICE to make arrests without a judge’s signature, calling the practice “the fox guarding the henhouse.”
Conflicting Accounts
The arrest has sparked intense debate. Local school officials and witnesses accused ICE agents of using Liam as “bait,” claiming agents had the child knock on the family’s door to see if anyone else was inside.
ICE officials denied those claims, arguing that the father tried to flee and that the mother refused to take custody of the child at the scene. However, neighbors and school board members who witnessed the event say they were ready to take the child but were rebuffed by agents.
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, who visited the family this week, reported that the five-year-old was “very depressed” and had stopped eating.
Legal Status
Despite being labeled as “illegal” by some officials, the family’s attorney, Marc Prokosch, noted that Liam and his father entered the U.S. legally from Ecuador in late 2024 to seek asylum. They have a pending court case and have followed all required protocols, Prokosch said.
Liam’s school district in Columbia Heights celebrated the ruling on Saturday, stating they are “so happy” the family will be reunited.
