Father of 5-year-old detained in Minnesota disputes government assertion he abandoned the boy

The father of a 5-year-old boy who was detained by immigration authorities and held at a federal facility in Texas has disputed government claims that he abandoned his son during an enforcement operation last month.

Adrian Conejo Arias, originally from Ecuador, told ABC News upon returning to Minnesota with his son Liam that he loves his child and would never leave him behind. This directly contradicts statements from the Department of Homeland Security, which alleged that Arias fled on foot before his arrest, abandoning the boy in a vehicle.

“The facts in this case have NOT changed: The father who was illegally in the country chose to take his child with him to a detention center,” said Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement. She confirmed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers remained with the child but did not address Arias’ claim that his son was denied medication while in custody.

Arias maintains he was arrested unjustly and that he was in the country legally with a pending asylum hearing. The pair was released Sunday following a federal judge’s order and have since returned to Minnesota, according to Texas Representative Joaquin Castro.

The case unfolds amid President Donald Trump’s intensified immigration crackdown, which has sparked daily protests and resulted in the shooting deaths of two American citizens by federal officers. President Trump recently ordered his top border adviser to oversee the enforcement operations, days after the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital.

Border czar Tom Homan acknowledged that mistakes may have been made but emphasized that agents would continue enforcing federal law while urging local and state officials to cooperate with federal officers. In response to growing concerns, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Monday that all DHS officers in Minneapolis would immediately be issued body-worn cameras.

The community’s reaction to Liam’s detention was profound. Images of immigration officers surrounding the young boy in a blue bunny hat and Spider-Man backpack triggered widespread outrage. While neighbors celebrated the boy’s return to Minnesota, his school in Columbia Heights received bomb threats, forcing classes to be canceled. Authorities found no dangerous devices, and classes were scheduled to resume Tuesday.

Valley View Elementary, where Liam attends school, has been significantly affected by immigration enforcement actions. Principal Jason Kuhlman revealed that over two dozen parents of students have been detained, leaving children without caregivers. “We hate Mondays. And it’s because we find out how many of our parents were taken over the weekend,” Kuhlman said.

The school began offering online classes last week as many parents feared coming to school, despite volunteers patrolling the grounds during drop-off and dismissal times. Approximately 200 students were absent one day in a school of around 570—significantly higher than the normal 20 to 30 absences.

While the government contends that Arias entered the U.S. illegally from Ecuador in December 2024, the family’s lawyer maintains he has a pending asylum claim that legally allows him to remain in the country. The Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review’s online court docket shows no future hearings scheduled for Arias.

Liam’s return has sparked hope for other families in similar circumstances. Luis Zuna, whose 10-year-old daughter Elizabeth and her mother Rosa were detained on January 6 while heading to a school bus stop, expressed cautious optimism. They have been held for nearly a month at the same facility where Liam and his father were detained.

“It’s been really hard to come home and there’s nobody,” Zuna said. “And they are there locked up. My daughter wants to get out of there.”

The conditions at ICE detention facilities have also drawn scrutiny. Democratic Rep. Kelly Morrison of Minnesota, a physician who recently gained access to a facility after previously being denied entry, reported concerning conditions. “There are no beds, no real blankets, minimal food, extremely cold temperatures. People are in locked cells, in leg shackles,” Morrison stated on social media. She added that no nurse was present during her visit and that detainees were receiving no real medical care.

On Monday, a federal judge in Washington issued a temporary restraining order against a Trump administration policy that had blocked lawmakers’ access to ICE detention facilities, after 13 members of Congress, including Morrison, filed a request. This follows an earlier incident where Morrison and fellow Minnesota Democratic Representatives Ilhan Omar and Angie Craig were turned away from a facility despite having an appointment.

As these immigration enforcement actions continue, communities across Minnesota are grappling with their impact, particularly on children and families caught in the crossfire of shifting federal policies.