A kindergartener returning home from preschool became the flashpoint in America’s most explosive immigration enforcement debate when federal agents detained him in his own driveway.
Story Snapshot
- ICE detained 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias on January 20, 2026, in Columbia Heights, Minnesota
- School Superintendent Zena Stenvik demanded body camera footage release at an emotional press conference, disputing federal agents’ account
- DHS claims the father fled on foot and abandoned his child, while local officials accuse agents of snatching a preschooler off the street
- The incident occurred during Operation Metro Surge, which has resulted in thousands of arrests and the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis mother
- At least four Columbia Heights students have been detained by ICE in recent weeks, including children aged 10 and 17
When Federal Enforcement Meets Preschool Pickup
The confrontation unfolded in a residential driveway shortly after young Liam returned home from preschool. ICE agents targeted his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, identified as an illegal alien from Ecuador. What happened next depends entirely on who tells the story. Federal authorities insist they protected an abandoned child. School officials describe armed agents detaining a kindergartener. The truth remains locked inside body cameras that Columbia Heights Public Schools desperately wants released to the public.
DHS issued a forceful rebuttal to the school district’s characterization, stating flatly that ICE did not target a child but responded when the father fled on foot, abandoning his son. According to federal officials, ICE officers remained with the boy for his safety and followed standard protocol by asking whether the parent wanted removal with his child or preferred placement with a designated safe person. DHS characterized these procedures as consistent with past administrations’ immigration enforcement practices.
A Superintendent Takes a Stand
Zena Stenvik pulled no punches during her January 22 news conference. The Columbia Heights Public Schools superintendent challenged the federal narrative and demanded transparency through body camera footage. Her emotional appeal reflected mounting frustration within a community watching its students disappear into federal custody. Stenvik detailed a disturbing pattern: a 17-year-old taken by armed, masked agents without a parent present, a 10-year-old detained en route to school, another 17-year-old removed when agents pushed into an apartment. Four students in recent weeks alone.
Governor Tim Walz amplified the superintendent’s concerns with blistering language, declaring that masked agents snatching preschoolers off streets and sending them to Texas detention centers serves no legitimate purpose. His characterization of federal operations as an invasion drew sharp rebuke from ICE, which questioned his reading comprehension skills and accused him of lying. Federal officials warned that such inflammatory statements put officers at greater risk of attack, a response that reveals the dangerous escalation between state and federal authorities.
Operation Metro Surge Casts a Long Shadow
The detention occurred within the broader context of Operation Metro Surge, ICE’s aggressive enforcement campaign launched in the Minneapolis region the previous month. The operation has resulted in thousands of arrests and transformed immigrant communities into zones of perpetual anxiety. Tensions reached a breaking point on January 7 when an ICE officer shot and killed Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother, intensifying already strained relations between federal agents and local residents. Vice President JD Vance’s scheduled January 23 meeting with ICE agents in Minneapolis signaled the administration’s commitment to the operation despite mounting opposition.
ICE live updates: School official calls on agents to release body cam from 5-year-old’s detention in emotional press conferencehttps://t.co/wo6qVdRlLc
— The Independent (@Independent) January 22, 2026
The Minneapolis mayor vowed the city would not be intimidated by Trump’s immigration enforcement. That defiant stance reflects a fundamental question about federal authority versus local autonomy in immigration matters. When armed federal agents can detain preschoolers in residential driveways without local oversight or immediate accountability, communities rightfully demand answers. The administration’s enforcement priorities deserve scrutiny, particularly regarding protocols for handling minors during operations targeting their parents.
The Body Camera Question Nobody Can Answer
Body camera footage would settle the factual dispute at the heart of this controversy. Did the father abandon his child, as DHS claims, or did agents detain a kindergartener, as school officials assert? The American people deserve to see what happened in that driveway. Transparency serves everyone’s interests, federal agents included. If ICE followed proper procedures and protected an abandoned child, the footage vindicates their actions. If something else occurred, the public has a right to know.
The silence surrounding that footage speaks volumes. Four Columbia Heights students detained in recent weeks. A fatal shooting in Minneapolis. A preschooler caught in an immigration enforcement operation. These incidents demand accountability mechanisms that protect both public safety and individual rights. When federal operations involve children, extra scrutiny is not anti-law enforcement bias but common sense child welfare policy. The Trump administration’s commitment to immigration enforcement need not conflict with transparency about how agents interact with minors. Release the footage and let Americans judge for themselves whether ICE acted appropriately.
Sources:
ICE live updates: Minnesota, Maine, Vance
