Trump Admin: We’re Not Expediting Deportation of Boy, 5

Federal authorities say they did not attempt to fast-track the asylum case of a 5-year-old boy and his father whose detention during an immigration operation in the Minneapolis area drew widespread attention, according to the AP.

Photos of Liam Conejo Ramos wearing a bunny hat and Spider-Man backpack while surrounded by immigration officers sparked public concern and criticism. Danielle Molliver, an attorney representing the boy and his father, told the New York Times that she believed the government was trying to accelerate their deportation proceedings, calling the situation “extraordinary” and potentially “retaliatory.” Federal officials rejected that claim.

“These are regular removal proceedings. They are not in expedited removal,” Department of Homeland Security official Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement, adding that “there is nothing retaliatory about enforcing the nation’s immigration laws.”

Molliver told the Times that during a closed hearing on Friday, an immigration judge granted her additional time to present arguments on the family’s behalf. According to Kristen Stuenkel, a spokesperson for Columbia Heights Public Schools, the boy’s school district, the family is being kept in a private location while awaiting their next court hearing scheduled for Friday.

Liam and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, who is originally from Ecuador, were detained in a Minneapolis suburb on Jan. 20. After a judge ordered their release from a detention facility in Dilley, Texas, they returned to Minnesota on Feb. 1.

Neighbors and school officials have accused immigration officers of using the child to draw his mother outside by asking him to knock on the front door. DHS has strongly denied that account, calling it “an abject lie.” The agency said the father ran from officers on foot and left the child in a running vehicle in the driveway.

The government has stated that Conejo Arias entered the United States illegally in December 2024. His attorney disputes that claim, saying he entered legally through the CBP One app and has a pending asylum application that allows him to remain in the country while his case is considered.