Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated on Sunday that a 5-year-old boy and his father, detained by ICE in Minneapolis last month, did not file for asylum, despite being released over the weekend. Reports surrounding the family’s immigration status seem, uh, contradictory, especially regarding Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias. They entered the U.S. in 2024, and while officials and the family’s lawyers disagree on their asylum proceedings, the lawyers claim there’s an active asylum request, allowing them to stay in the country until a court’s decision.
Blanche echoed the Department of Homeland Security’s assertions that the family is present illegally, denying that there is any ongoing asylum case. “That’s not true,” he emphasized on ABC’s “This Week,” adding that there’s a significant dispute about their asylum application process. He also mentioned that while many immigrants in detention don’t have criminal records, the Trump administration regards illegal entry as a crime, which justifies their detention.
“Being here without valid status is considered a crime,” he explained, clarifying that a lack of a criminal record doesn’t change the fact that their presence is illegal. He mentioned that legal interpretations vary on whether illegal immigrants can halt proceedings or seek bail and expressed a strong belief that trials should proceed properly.
Blanche’s remarks followed considerable backlash from lawyers and lawmakers, who criticized the operation that led to the detention of the young boy after he was picked up from school. The father and son were ultimately released from a detention facility in Dilley, Texas, after a judge ruled earlier in the day.
Representative Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) shared that he picked up his family Saturday night and traveled with them to Minnesota. In a letter to the boy, he conveyed, “Don’t let anyone tell you this isn’t your home. America is the most powerful and prosperous nation on Earth because of immigrants, not in spite of them.”
Representative Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, also celebrated the family’s release on social media, posting a photo of Liam with Castro and writing, “Liam is now home and grateful to Joaquin Castro for traveling to Minneapolis with his father. Welcome home, Liam.”
