ICE Detains 5-Year-Old Boy and Father in Minneapolis Suburb

Federal immigration agents detained a 5-year-old boy and his father in a Minneapolis suburb on Tuesday, drawing criticism from school officials who accused the officers of using the child to gain access to the family home during the arrest.

The boy, Liam Conejo Ramos, had just returned home from preschool in Columbia Heights when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers approached the vehicle in the driveway, according to Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenvik. The child's father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, fled on foot upon seeing the agents, leaving Liam in the still-running car, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement. One officer remained with the boy for his safety while others pursued and apprehended the father, the spokesperson added. Agents then removed Liam from the car and directed him to knock on the door of the home to check if anyone else was inside, Stenvik said at a news conference Wednesday.

Stenvik described the tactic as using the 5-year-old as bait. Another adult living in the home was present outside and offered to care for Liam, but the agents refused, she said. The father and son, who entered the...