Feds Fast-Track Deportation of Boy, 5, and Family
Joaquin Castro via AP
A 5-year-old boy from Minneapolis who drew international attention earlier this year after being arrested while wearing a bunny hat is once again at the center of an immigration dispute, as federal authorities move forward with efforts to deport him and his family.
Immigration officials are attempting to remove Liam Conejos Ramos and his relatives to Ecuador through an “expedited removal” procedure. According to attorneys representing the family, this process allowed an immigration judge to end their asylum case without holding a full hearing on their claims.
Lawyers say Liam, his 13-year-old brother, and their parents arrived in the United States legally in December 2024 to request asylum. Liam’s mother is currently expecting the couple’s third child.
The case first drew widespread attention after Liam and his father were taken into custody during a January enforcement operation and transferred to a family detention facility in Texas. A federal judge later ordered their release, criticizing the raid as disorganized and driven by enforcement quotas, according to reporting by the New York Times.
Despite that ruling, the government later asked to terminate the family’s asylum case, a request that was granted last month. Paschal Nwokocha, an immigration attorney assisting the family, said a judge issued a removal order several weeks ago. The information was not made public until Wednesday, when the family’s legal team filed an appeal with the Justice Department’s Board of Immigration Appeals, seeking to revive their asylum claim. Administration officials had previously denied that the deportation process was being accelerated.
The appeals board, which includes several members appointed by President Trump, does not operate under a fixed timeline for decisions. If the appeal is rejected, the family could be deported quickly. However, their lawyers say the appeals process itself could take months or even years to fully play out.
“The government was determined to remove this family from the United States,” Nwokocha told MPR News last month, adding that the legal team managed to secure additional time to pursue their case in court.
Speaking to CBS on Wednesday, Nwokocha said the family’s attorneys intend to strongly contest the removal order. He argued that the core issue is that the family has never been able to fully present their asylum claim before a judge.
“The challenge is that they haven’t had the opportunity to tell their story to an immigration judge,” he said. “Their case was dismissed before they were able to present the details and merits of their claim to the court.”
About Post Author
