• A federal judge has temporarily barred deportation of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father.
• The pair were detained as part of an ICE operation in Minnesota, drawing public outrage.
• The family has a pending asylum application that complicates their deportation process.
• ICE claims the father abandoned his child during the arrest, a statement disputed by family representatives.
• This incident has escalated tensions surrounding immigration policy under the Trump administration.

A federal judge has issued a temporary order blocking the deportation of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, who are currently detained at a family facility in Dilley, Texas. The order prevents their transfer or removal while their case proceeds through the courts, highlighting ongoing tensions surrounding U.S. immigration enforcement practices, according to CBS News, Los Angeles Times, Le Monde, and ABC News.

Liam and his father were taken into custody on January 20 in Minnesota, an event that spurred immediate public backlash after photographs of Liam in distress went viral. School officials stated that Liam was used as "bait" by ICE agents to draw out his mother, who did not answer when they knocked, although DHS has strongly rejected this characterization of events. They maintain that the boy's father attempted to flee, leaving Liam unattended in a vehicle, according to CBS News, Los Angeles Times, and Le Monde.

In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery asserted that any potential removal or alteration of the family's location is prohibited while they contest their detention. The family's attorney has indicated they possess a pending asylum application, complicating ICE's assertions that the father is in the U.S. illegally. "These are not illegal aliens. They came properly," stated the attorney, emphasizing that the family used an official process for entry, according to CBS News, Los Angeles Times, and ABC News.

The case highlights deeper divisions in the U.S. over immigration policy, especially under the Trump administration, which has actively sought to enforce stricter immigration measures. With public sentiment intensifying, President Trump has acknowledged the need to “de-escalate” tensions related to ongoing ICE operations in places like Minneapolis, where the situation has drawn significant media attention, according to Le Monde and ABC News.