SAN ANTONIO - A federal judge has ordered the release of a 5-year-old boy and his father from a Texas detention facility days after blocking their deportation.
In a scathing court order Saturday, Judge Fred Biery ordered the release of Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Dilley, Texas, no later than Tuesday.
Conejo Ramos and his father were detained in Minnesota last week after arriving home from school. A photo of the child in a bunny hat subsequently went viral.
What they're saying:
"The case has its genesis in the ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children," Biery said in the order.
In the ruling, Biery accused the Trump administration of "ignorance of an American historical document called the Declaration of Independence" saying Thomas Jefferson mentioned many grievances against a "would-be authoritarian king."
"'We the people' are hearing echos of that history," Biery said.
He went on to admonish the Trump administration over its deportation policies, saying administration warrants issued by the executive branch do not pass probable cause muster.
"That is called the fox guarding the henhouse," Biery said. "The Constitution requires an independent judicial officer."
Minnesota child detained by ICE
The backstory:
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.
Texas Democrats visit Dilley ICE facility
Wednesday night, a rally was held in San Anotonio calling for the release of Conejo Ramos and his father.
WATCH: Texas troopers, protesters clash outside ICE detention facility
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers fired pepper balls into a crowd of protesters outside an ICE detention facility Wednesday where a 5-year-old boy from the Minneapolis area is being held.
U.S. Reps. Joaquin Castro and Jasmine Crockett visited the facility Wednesday where Castro met with Conejo Ramos and his father.
What they're saying:
"Just visited with Liam and his father at Dilley detention center," Castro said on X "I demanded his release and told him how much his family, his school, and our country loves him and is praying for him."
At Wednesday night's rally, Castro shared his growing concern for Liam's wellbeing.
"I’m worried because the entire time we were with him, he was asleep. His dad says he’s been sleeping most of the day because he’s been depressed, that he’s not eating well, that he misses his mom and his classmates and his school," Castro said.
U.S. Rep Jasmine Crockett (D-Dallas) released a statement on the situation Saturday, which reads in part:
"This is just a small step toward justice for Liam Ramos, his family, and for humanity. There are hundreds of children being held by ICE, there are even more kids living in fear, or mentally scarred by the trauma this administration has inflicted upon their community and this nation."
Read the full order below:
The Source: Information in this article comes from court documents filed in the Western District of Texas. Backstory on Liam Conejo Ramos and his father comes from previous FOX 9 and FOX 7 reporting.