A federal judge’s intervention has temporarily halted the deportation of an illegal immigrant and his five-year-old son, exposing the enduring consequences of Biden-era catch-and-release policies that released the father despite his unlawful entry just over a year ago.
Story Snapshot
- U.S. District Judge Fred Biery blocked ICE from deporting or transferring Adrian Alexander Conejo Ramos and his son Liam from a Texas detention facility on January 27, 2026.
- The father entered the U.S. illegally in December 2024, was released by the Biden administration with pending asylum claims, and declined voluntary return to Ecuador.
- ICE arrested the father during a massive Minnesota enforcement operation on January 20, 2026; officers cared for the child after the father allegedly fled and the mother refused custody.
- Democrats including Governor Tim Walz and Representative Ilhan Omar condemned the arrest as “kidnapping,” while ICE defends its actions as lawful enforcement targeting an immigration violator.
Biden’s Catch-and-Release Creates Crisis
Adrian Alexander Conejo Ramos crossed into the United States illegally in December 2024 and was promptly released by the Biden administration despite having no legal right to remain in the country. This catch-and-release practice, a hallmark of Biden’s lax immigration enforcement, allowed him to settle in Minnesota with pending asylum claims that had not been adjudicated. ICE officials offered Conejo Ramos voluntary return to Ecuador, but he declined. The decision to release him rather than detain him pending proceedings directly enabled this situation, demonstrating how permissive border policies create long-term enforcement challenges for American authorities attempting to restore order.
Arrest During Trump Administration Enforcement Operation
On January 20, 2026, ICE agents arrested Conejo Ramos in the Minneapolis area during what officials described as the largest Department of Homeland Security operation ever conducted in Minnesota. According to ICE, the father fled on foot during the arrest attempt, leaving his five-year-old son Liam alone in a vehicle during winter conditions. Officers located the child wearing a school backpack and bunny hat, fed him at a drive-through restaurant, and attempted to transfer custody to his mother. When she refused to take the child, ICE detained father and son together at the Dilley ICE Processing Center in Texas, a facility designated for families with minor children facing immigration violations.
Judicial Intervention Blocks Deportation
Judge Fred Biery of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas issued a temporary order on January 27 barring ICE from deporting or transferring Conejo Ramos and his son from the Dilley facility. The ruling came amid pending immigration court cases and growing media attention fueled by viral images of the child in detention. The judge’s intervention effectively halts enforcement actions until further court proceedings, adding another layer of legal obstruction to the Trump administration’s efforts to remove individuals who have violated immigration law. Family attorney Jennifer Scarborough claims Conejo Ramos has no criminal record beyond his illegal entry, though ICE has not publicly confirmed or disputed this assertion.
Partisan Battle Over Enforcement
Democratic politicians seized on the case to attack ICE operations, with Governor Tim Walz and Representative Ilhan Omar characterizing the arrest as kidnapping. Local pastor Sergio Amezcua alleged that ICE used the child as bait, a claim amplified by left-leaning media outlets eager to portray enforcement as inhumane. ICE officials countered that officers acted professionally, providing care for the child after his father abandoned him during evasion and his mother refused custody. DHS statements emphasized that agents were heartbroken by the situation but committed to enforcing laws that require removal of those in the country illegally. This stark divide reveals how the left prioritizes emotional narratives over the rule of law, undermining enforcement efforts designed to restore immigration integrity.
Consequences of Weak Border Policies
The case underscores the downstream chaos created by Biden administration border failures that released hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants into American communities without proper vetting or realistic deportation timelines. Conejo Ramos should never have been in Minnesota to begin with; his release in December 2024 was a policy choice that prioritized open-border ideology over enforcement and public safety. The pending asylum claims that now complicate his removal are symptomatic of an overwhelmed system flooded by inadmissible migrants granted entry under previous leadership. The Trump administration’s renewed enforcement represents an attempt to correct years of neglect, but judicial interventions like Judge Biery’s order demonstrate how activist courts can frustrate even lawful deportation efforts, prolonging detention and taxpayer costs.
