Judge blocks deportation of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father

Educators warn of impact of ICE surge at schools

On the heels of the detainment of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, Minnesota lawmakers and educators demanded ICE stay away from schools.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A temporary court order has halted the deportation of Liam Conejo Ramos – the 5-year-old whose arrest in a bunny hat in Columbia Heights, Minn., sparked national outcry – and his father.

Judge orders Liam Conejo Ramos' release

What we know:

In an order filed on Monday, District Court Judge Fred Biery stayed any removal or transfer of Conejo Ramos and Conejo Arias until the court process plays out.

However, the order will also keep the father and son in the Western District of Texas during the court proceedings. The Conejos are being held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Dilley, Texas.

The backstory:

Photo taken by bystanders of Liam Conejo Ramos at the scene of his detainment by ICE. Photo courtesy of Columbia Heights Public Schools (Supplied)

A photo of Liam Conejo Ramos went viral last week as he and his father were detained by ICE officers after arriving home from school.

The family's attorney says the family is in the country legally as they pursue a claim for asylum. The attorney says they have shown up for their court hearings and posed no safety threat. The attorney says they were being held for civil immigration violations. The attorney claimed that during the arrest, ICE agents then tried to use the child as 'bait,' walking him up to the family's front door and having him knock on the door, asking to be let in.

The Department of Homeland Security had repeatedly and voraciously disputed this allegation, claiming instead that Ramos had been abandoned by his father, who tried to run away from agents. DHS said ICE officers tried to return the boy to his mother's custody but claimed she refused to take the child. Ultimately, DHS said the father agreed to allow the child to remain with him in custody. DHS also claimed ICE agents cared for the boy during the operation.

Support for Columbia Heights

Dig deeper:

During a news conference on Tuesday, Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenvik said the district had seen an outpouring of support for Conejo Ramos.

"As many of you know, one week ago today, our little Liam Conejo Ramos, was detained by ICE," said Stenvik. "And we've all seen the bunny hat, but I want to make sure everyone's connecting the dots that Conejo, his first primary last name. Conejo means rabbit, means bunny. So I've been getting many emails where the entirety of the message is ‘yo soy conejo.’ I am the rabbit. So harkening back to the World War Two era, many of you may have heard the story of Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. Columbia Heights Public Schools and our community we're working on our origami conejos."