The Department of Homeland Security released an image Friday of Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, the illegal immigrant father accused of abandoning his 5-year-old son while running from federal agents. According to DHS, Conejo Arias is an Ecuadorean citizen who was living in the United States illegally after being released into the country by the Biden administration. Yes, another “catch and release” success story—if by success you mean chaos.
Fox News obtained the image of Conejo Arias, who is the father of preschooler Liam Ramos. DHS says there is no record of him or his family entering the U.S. through the Biden-era CBP One phone app, despite claims from the family’s attorney. The agency also said Conejo Arias was offered a process known as voluntary return (VR), which would have allowed him to leave the U.S. without immigration consequences, but he declined.
Democrats quickly claimed the child was “kidnapped” during his father’s detention in Minneapolis. Columbia Heights school district superintendent Zena Stenvik even said the boy was “used as bait.” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Rep. Ilhan Omar shared an image of the child online, claiming he had been arrested by ICE while walking home from preschool. Apparently, facts were optional that day.
DHS officials stated clearly that agents were approaching Conejo Arias when he fled and left his son behind.
“This little boy was abandoned by his own father,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “His own father was being approached by ICE agents when he darted, ran, and abandoned the child.” She added that officers stayed with the boy in freezing temperatures and attempted to reunite him with his mother, who refused to take custody.
ICE officials emphasized that the target was the father, not the child.
“My officers stayed with the child. They cared for him,” said ICE Executive Assistant Director of Enforcement and Removal Operations Marcos Charles. “They took him to get something to eat from a drive-thru restaurant and spent hours ensuring he was taken care of. Again, my officers did that, not his father.”
Charles said officers tried to return the boy to his residence, but the family inside refused to open the door and take him back, even after seeing the child. McLaughlin confirmed officers also attempted to get the boy’s mother to take custody, but she declined.
The boy and his father are now being held together at the Dilley Detention Center in Texas, a facility that houses families. McLaughlin said Conejo Arias asked to keep his son with him after the child’s mother refused custody. Before that, the boy was given food from McDonald’s and listened to music while officers ensured his safety.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett said she plans to visit the detention center next week and accused the Trump administration of blocking congressional oversight. She said her heart “aches for Liam’s family” and promised to get answers.
McLaughlin noted that parents are given the option to be removed with their children or to designate a safe person to take custody of them, a policy consistent with past administrations’ immigration enforcement.
Despite the political noise, DHS and ICE officers focused on what actually mattered—protecting a vulnerable child and following the law. And while critics rush to rewrite the story, the truth remains: law enforcement stepped up when a father ran away. In the end, compassion and accountability can exist at the same time, and that’s a win for both safety and sanity.
