Minnesota Local Media reported Wednesday that an immigration judge ended the asylum applications of five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his family, Ordering their removal from the United States.
The Columbia Heights Public School District, where the boy attended school, defendant the decision which states:
The announcement… is heartbreaking. We understand that this decision will be appealed and remain hopeful for a positive outcome. The arrest of Liam and his father in January shines a light on the damage caused by Operation Metro Surge, which saw many children and families arrested.
Liam and his father made headlines when they were imprisoned by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in January during the Trump administration Operation Metro Surgewhich is supposedly over. While the Department of Homeland Security claims that his father had “abandoned Liam” and that ICE was simply ensuring his safety, school officials said said the young was used as a pretext by agents to gain entry to the family home.
The family includes Liam, his 13-year-old brother, his father Adrian Conejo Arias and mother Erika Ramos, who is pregnant with the couple’s third child.
Last month, a federal district judge ordered the release of Ramos and his father from ICE custody. Judge Fred Biery granted a Writ of Habeas Corpus and took the statement as an opportunity to give the government a “civics lesson”:
Administrative warrants issued by the executive branch to itself do not meet the requirements of probable cause. This is called the fox that guards the chicken coop. The constitution requires an independent judicial officer.
Administrative Arrest warrants The people employed by ICE have been the subject of much debate controversy. Many have argued that ICE policies that allow such warrants to be signed and executed by supervisory officers without judicial authorization violate the law Fourth Amendmentwhich generally requires that arrest warrants be issued by a neutral and independent judge.
A lawyer for the Ramos family said They plan to appeal to the Immigration Appeal Board – a process that could take years. The family can remain in the United States while the appeal is decided.
