A federal judge issued a temporary order late Tuesday preventing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from deporting five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Ramos. The ruling was made by U.S. District Court Judge Fred Biery in the Western District of Texas.
ICE reported that Adrian Conejo Ramos, an illegal immigrant from Ecuador, attempted to evade arrest during an operation on January 20, abandoning his child in a vehicle in freezing temperatures. ICE deportation chief Marcos Charles emphasized that the operation targeted the father and not the child.
Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated, “The facts in this case have NOT changed: ICE did NOT target or arrest a child.” She clarified that on January 20, ICE conducted a targeted operation to arrest Adrian Alexander Conejo Ramos, who was released into the U.S. by the Biden administration. As agents approached, Adrian Ramos fled on foot—abandoning his child.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Adrian entered the U.S. illegally in December 2024 and was released into the country by the Biden government. Despite a pending asylum claim, ICE sought to detain him. McLaughlin further noted that officers assured Liam’s mother she would not be taken into custody, but the mother refused to accept custody of the child.
The temporary order blocks ICE from deporting Adrian and transferring the pair out of Texas until further notice.
