CNN interrupted its regular programming on Saturday to report breaking news: a federal judge has ordered the release of five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Alexander Conejo Arias, from an immigration detention center.
Liam and his father were taken from their Minneapolis home by federal agents on January 20 and transported to a detention facility in Texas. The story sparked national outrage, prompting US District Judge Fred Biery to step in.
During the CNN broadcast, the anchor shared the ruling, saying, “A federal judge has ordered the release of five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father from the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas.” A photo of Liam wearing a soft blue bunny hat appeared on screen, which has since circulated widely online.
The anchor explained that Liam and his father had been sent 1,300 miles away to the Texas facility, which is specifically designed to detain families, and noted that they had been held for over a week.
Viewers took to social media to express outrage at the Trump administration. One person wrote, “He should never have been taken to begin with. The trauma the Trump regime has inflicted on children is unimaginable.” Another added, “Trump’s ‘family unity’ policy jailed children for far longer than legal limits, wasting taxpayer money while using them as political pawns. This is state-sponsored abuse.”
Others shared their concern for Liam’s well-being, hoping that the experience would not have lasting effects: “I pray he’s okay and that this unimaginable, cruel experience doesn’t affect him later.”
Some viewers also questioned whether the Trump administration would comply with the judge’s order. One asked, “How much do you want to bet that the Trump administration won’t release him?”
Judge Biery granted an emergency request from the family’s lawyer, ordering that Alexander and Liam be released by February 3. In his ruling, he included the now-viral photo of Liam in his blue hat. The judge criticized the government’s approach, saying the case “originated in the ill-conceived and incompetently implemented pursuit of daily deportation quotas, even if it traumatises children.”
He emphasized that deportations should be carried out in a more humane and orderly manner, adding, “Observing human behavior confirms that for some among us, the perfidious lust for unbridled power and the imposition of cruelty in its quest know no bounds and are bereft of human decency.” For more coverage on Trump’s handling of families and immigration, see our latest reports.
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