The Daily Populous Friday January 23rd, 2026 night edition
Authored by bbc.co.uk and submitted by ultra_phoenix

"You can't tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal."

In a post on X, ICE denied the child had been detained.

"A criminal illegal alien ABANDONED his child as he fled from ICE officers, and our officers ensured the child was kept SAFE in the bitter cold," the agency said.

"ICE made multiple attempts to get the family inside the house to take custody of the child.

"They refused to accept custody of the child. The father told officers he wanted the child to remain with him."

DHS did not immediately respond to the BBC's request for comment.

Photos provided to the BBC by the school district show a boy, identified as Liam Ramos, wearing a bunny-shaped winter hat, standing outside as an officer holds on to his backpack.

The Columbia Heights Public Schools authority described these as bystander photos. The district did not identify the individuals who took the pictures, referring to them as "known and confirmed community members".

Marc Prokosch, a lawyer representing the family, told a press conference on Thursday that Liam and his father were being held at a detention centre in San Antonio, Texas, and attorneys were trying to contact them.

Prokosch said the boy and his father had come to the US in 2024 from Ecuador to seek asylum.

"This family was not eluding ICE in any way," he said. "They were following all the established protocols."

School officials said an agent asked the child to knock on the door of the home to see if anyone else was there.

The boy had just arrived home from pre-school at the time, Stenvik told the press conference.

She said another adult living in the home asked to take the young boy inside, but was refused.

School board member Mary Granlund said she was on the scene and told immigration officials she could take Liam Ramos, but they still detained him.

US Vice-President JD Vance, who visited Minnesota on Thursday amid ongoing protests against immigration enforcement, told reporters ICE had no choice because "the father ran".

"What are they supposed to do?" he said of ICE agents. "Are they supposed to let a five-year-old child freeze to death?

"Are they not supposed to arrest an illegal alien in the United States of America?"

He added: "If the argument is that you can't arrest people who have violated laws because they have children. . . that doesn't make any sense."

Far_Radish7752 on January 22nd, 2026 at 16:43 UTC »

Here’s a quote from an article I initially assumed was the same one:

> Marc Prokosch, an attorney representing the family, said the family has an active i asylum case and shared paperwork showing the father and son had arrived to the US at a port of entry, meaning an official crossing point.

> ”The family did everything they were supposed to in accordance with how the rules have been set out,” he said. “They did not come here illegally. They are not criminals.” He said there was no order of deportation against them and he believes the father and son have remained together in detention.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/21/ice-arrests-five-year-old-boy-minnesota

This how ICE knows who to target: the ones who do everything the aboveboard way, who meticulously file their paperwork. The ones whose identities and addresses are on file.

ETA: attribution to correct article and link

Dear_Ambellina03 on January 22nd, 2026 at 16:40 UTC »

I posted this in a different thread and I want to make sure it gets seen here too. Liam and his father crossed legally at a designated border crossing and are documented asylum seekers. They are 100% legal in the eyes of the law and this is a 100% illegal abduction by ICE. There were legal family members present offering to keep Liam and ICE refused.

Cook_0612 on January 22nd, 2026 at 16:38 UTC »

Calling these actions 'operations' frankly creates an unwarranted impression of competence and professionalism.