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Liam Ramos: Texas lawmakers call for 5-year-old's release
Lawmakers and other supporters gathered to call for the release of Liam Ramos from an immigration detention center in Texas after he was taken into ICE custody in Minnesota.
SAN ANTONIO (FOX 9) - A Texas judge has ordered the release of a 5-year-old boy and his father after the two were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Columbia Heights.
Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, were taken to the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Dilley, Texas.
Liam Ramos, father to be released
What we know:
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery ruled that Conejo Ramos and Conejo Arias have to be released from detention by Tuesday, Feb. 3.
"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," Judge Biery said in his ruling.
Judge Biery went on to say in the ruling, "apparent also is the government's ignorance of an American historical document called the Declaration of Independence," regarding the father and son's immigration case.
The judge also said in his ruling that administrative warrants "issued by the executive branch itself" do not pass as probable cause.
Read the full ruling from the judge below:
On Monday, Judge Biery stayed any removal or transfer of Conejo Ramos and Conejo Arias until the court process played out.
What they're saying:
The law firm representing Conejo Ramos and his father sent the following statement regarding the ruling:
"The legal team representing Liam Conejo Ramos and his father are grateful for the Court's thoughtful consideration of the merits in this matter and for acting swiftly to reach a decision. We are now working closely with our clients and their family to ensure a safe and timely reunion. We are pleased that the family will now be able to focus on being together and finding some peace after this traumatic ordeal."
Columbia Heights detainment 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 in Columbia Heights.
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.
The Source: Court documents filed in the U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas.