US judge issues new order on detained 5-year-old boy and his father

Two masked ICE agents stand next to a child.

A judge has ordered the release of a five-year-old boy and his father from a Texas detention center after being detained in a raid by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. US District Court Judge Fred Bieri issued the order on Saturday (January 31).

ICE members recently detained a five-year-old boy named Liam Conejo Ramos and his father from Minneapolis. Judge Bieri stated in his order that Liam's detention was unlawful.

Earlier, a viral photo showed Liam being taken away by ICE officers from an area of ​​Minneapolis. At that time, Liam was wearing a blue hat and carrying a backpack. This photo has become a symbol of the strict immigration policies adopted by US President Trump's administration.

Judge Fred Bieri said in his order that asylum seekers may eventually be forced or voluntarily returned to their home countries due to the complex US immigration system. But the process should be more orderly and humane than what is currently happening.

The operation in Minnesota is the largest ICE operation to date. About 3,000 members of the agency are deployed in the city of Minneapolis in the state. There are frequent clashes between rights activists and immigration officers. Two Americans have already been shot and killed by ICE officers there.

Protests have already spread across the country against such deadly and aggressive operations by ICE. The Columbia Heights School Authority in Minneapolis said that at least four students were detained by immigration officers in the area last month, Liam was one of them.

Reuters reports.