At a Glance
- ICE agents have taken four students from a Minneapolis-area school district, including a 5-year-old.
- The incidents involve a child, a father, a 17-year-old, and a 10-year-old.
- Parents and teachers are calling the actions a violation of safety.
- Why it matters: The cases raise questions about federal enforcement near schools.
ICE detentions in a Minneapolis-area school district have sparked outrage after agents took four students, including a 5-year-old boy, in recent weeks. Superintendent Zena Stenvik said the incidents have left the community shaken and attendance falling.
ICE Detains Students
ICE agents reportedly took four students in the past month, according to a Wednesday news conference by Superintendent Stenvik. The first incident occurred Tuesday afternoon when 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father were seized in their driveway after the boy returned from preschool. The father fled on foot, leaving the child with an ICE officer.
> “ICE did NOT target a child,” said Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.
McLaughlin added that the agents were targeting the father and that parents are asked whether they wish to be removed with their children or have the children placed with a designated safe person. She said the practice is consistent with past administration policy.
A second incident involved a 17-year-old student who was taken from a car by armed, masked agents without parents present. A 10-year-old girl was taken while she was on her way to school with her mother; both were later detained in Texas. The same week, agents pushed into an apartment and detained a 17-year-old student and her mother.
| Date | Student Age | Incident | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | 5 | Seized in driveway | Father fled; child escorted to Texas |
| Tuesday | 17 | Seized from car | Separated from parents |
| Two weeks ago | 10 | Seized on way to school | Sent to Texas detention |
| Last week | 17 | Seized in apartment | Detained in Texas |
District Response
Stenvik said the school district received a photo of Liam with agents and released it after the family gave permission. The district’s statement highlighted that a middle-school brother returned home to a missing father and brother, and a terrified mother.
> “Why detain a 5-year-old?” Stenvik asked. “You can’t tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal.”
Teachers expressed shock. Ella Sullivan, Liam’s teacher, said he “just brightens the room” and that the removal is “very unfortunate.”
Stenvik also noted that ICE vehicles had approached the high-school loading dock, and that school administrators told agents to leave. She warned that ICE “has been roaming our neighborhoods, circling our schools, following our buses, coming into our parking lots and taking our children.”
Attendance has dropped, and Stenvik recently moved recess indoors because agents were patrolling near a playground.
Legal Actions
Immigration attorney Marc Prokosch, representing the family, said both father and son are likely held in Texas. He is exploring a habeas corpus petition and is reviewing the family’s overall asylum case.
> “We’d have to actually file that down in Texas now and then, also continuing to look through the family’s overall immigration case,” Prokosch told the conference.
Stenvik confirmed the family has an active asylum case with no order of deportation.
Community Impact
Parents and teachers are voicing concerns that the presence of ICE agents near schools threatens safety. Stenvik called the incidents a “shattering” blow to community trust.
> “Our children should not be afraid to come to school or to wait at a bus stop,” she said.
The district’s investigation into the incidents is ongoing, and the community awaits further clarification from the Department of Homeland Security.
Key Takeaways
- ICE agents have detained four students in a Minneapolis-area district, including a 5-year-old.
- The incidents involved a father, a 17-year-old, a 10-year-old, and a 17-year-old student.
- The family’s asylum case is active, and legal counsel is pursuing habeas corpus.
- School attendance has fallen, and safety concerns have risen.
- The district is investigating the incidents and seeking DHS comments.
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Sources: Superintendent Zena Stenvik’s statements, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, immigration attorney Marc Prokosch, teacher Ella Sullivan, and school district releases.
