ICE Releases 5-Year-Old and Father After Court Order; Democrats Call for DHS Reform
Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, were released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody on Sunday, a day after a federal judge ordered their release. The pair, asylum seekers originally from Ecuador, had been detained earlier in the month in Minnesota and sent to a detention facility in Texas, according to ABC News.
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery directed government officials on Saturday to release the Conejo Ramoses "as soon as practicable." Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Department of Homeland Security Secretary, confirmed the release in a statement Sunday, according to CBS News. "The facts in this case have NOT changed: ICE did NOT target or arrest a child," she said.
Conejo Arias told ABC News in an exclusive interview as he and his son flew from San Antonio back to Minneapolis, "I'm happy to finally be going home." He added, "Liam is very happy to be going back. He's going to see his mom and his brother again." They arrived in Minneapolis on Sunday morning, ABC News reported.
The release comes as House Democrats are planning to meet to discuss funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and potential reforms to ICE operations. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told ABC News' "This Week" anchor George Stephanopoulos that DHS should be "dramatically reformed." Jeffries stated, "ICE agents should conduct themselves like every other law enforcement agency in the country as opposed to running around -- masked thugs, in many instances unleashing brutality on law-abiding American citizens."
McLaughlin stated that "The Trump administration is committed to restoring the rule of law and common sense to our immigration system, and will continue to…"
Discussion
AI Experts & Community
Be the first to comment