Judge Halts Deportation of Detained 5-Year-Old and Father

A federal judge in Texas issued a temporary order on Monday barring the deportation or transfer of a 5-year-old Ecuadorian boy and his father, who were detained by immigration authorities last week outside their home in suburban Minneapolis, Minnesota.

U.S. District Judge Fred Biery ruled that Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, must remain in place while their court case proceeds. The pair are currently held at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, a facility operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement near San Antonio. The order stays any removal or transfer of the petitioners outside the judicial district until further court direction, according to court documents.

The detention occurred last week when federal agents approached the family's residence. Accounts of the arrest differ sharply. Neighbors and officials from Liam's school district described agents instructing the boy to knock on the door to lure his mother outside, prompting concerns about the tactics used. In response, the Department of Homeland Security rejected that characterization as false, stating that Conejo Arias fled on foot and left the child alone in a...