VP Vance Responds to Criticism Over ICE Actions

Vice President J.D. Vance expressed support for a reporter who criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for detaining a 5-year-old boy in Minnesota.

The child, Liam Conejo Ramos, ended up inside an ICE vehicle after his father was arrested in a driveway. Vance recounted a speech in Minneapolis where he mentioned the circumstances—his father fled during the arrest, leaving Liam behind. Authorities, understandably concerned, prioritized the child’s safety.

“I actually witnessed this troubling situation,” Vance stated. “While in Minneapolis, I shared this story, and as a dad of a 5-year-old, I couldn’t help but think, ‘This is just awful.’ I mean, how could a five-year-old get arrested?” After looking deeper, he found out the boy hadn’t been arrested. Instead, it was his father, an illegal immigrant, who was taken into custody after running away.

“So, here we are, talking about ICE apprehending a child. But what should be done?” Vance questioned. “Is it fair to let children suffer in these situations? Should we be arresting illegal immigrants in the U.S.? You can’t let someone off the hook for breaking the law just because they have kids,” he argued, stressing that allowing parents to evade law enforcement wouldn’t make sense.

The White House responded by accusing some news outlets of not presenting the full context. They mentioned that precautions were taken to ensure the child remained safe during the incident. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) clarified that parents had the choice to deport their children, which led to Liam being taken into custody alongside his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, who allegedly entered the country illegally from El Salvador.

“ICE does not specifically target children; unfortunately, children can be left behind,” the DHS remarked. They explained that their operation aimed to arrest Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, who had been allowed into the U.S. under the previous administration. When approached by officers, he ran off, leaving Liam behind, prompting an officer to stay with the child while another apprehended the father.

The statement continued that parents are asked whether they wish to leave with their children and if they decline, the children will be placed with a designated safe person from their family. This approach aligns with past immigration practices.

School officials shared that both the father and child were taken to a detention facility in Texas. According to local reports, Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenbic noted during a press conference that ICE agents had removed the boy from a vehicle in her driveway, just as she returned home from kindergarten.

In light of rising anti-ICE sentiment in Minnesota, particularly after a tragic incident involving an ICE agent, nearly 1,000 additional agents are set to be dispatched to assist in immigration enforcement activities across the state.