In this photo released by U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-TX, Adrian Conejo Arias and his son, five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos are seen in San Antonio, Texas, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, after being released from Dilley detention center. (Joaquin Castro via AP)
Adrian Conejo Arias is clapping back at the government’s claim that he abandoned his son while ICE agents pursued him in Minnesota. Arias is the father of the 5-year-old boy in a blue bunny hat and aSpider-Man backpack. Liam went viral after footage showed immigration officers surrounding the boy and allegedly attempting to bait the father with the child.
ICE had ultimately detained and shipped them both to a holding facility in Texas. Now, amid the father-son reunion, Adrian is setting the record straight while the government doubles down on abandonment claims.
Adrian Conejo Arias spoke out after a federal judge ordered the pair’s release over the weekend. The father and son were released Sunday and returned to Minnesota, according to Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas.
Adrian told ABC News that he loves his son Liam and would never abandon him. The father’s comments contradict the picture painted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which has claimed Arias left his 5-year-old in a vehicle. But Papa Adrian is denying the DHS narrative. Additionally, he said Liam got sick while in federal custody but allegedly was not given any medicine.
Also, the father says his arrest was unjust. He said he was in the country legally, with a pending court hearing on his asylum application. The government said the boy’s father entered the U.S. illegally from Ecuador in December 2024. The family’s lawyer said he has a pending asylum claim that allows him to stay in the U.S. However, per the Associated Press, the DOJ’sExecutive Office for Immigration Review’s online court docket shows no future hearings for Liam’s father.
For context, the large majority of asylum-seekers are released in the United States. Adults typically have eligibility for work permits, while their cases wind through the court system.
Meanwhile, Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that Arias fled on foot before he was arrested, “abandoning his child.” She said ICE officers stayed with the boy.
“The facts in this case have NOT changed: The father, who was illegally in the country, chose to take his child with him to a detention center,” McLaughlin said.
However, McLaughlin did not address Adrian Conejo Arias’ statement about agents denying Liam medication while in custody. The family’s arrest and release unfolded during President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration. This crackdown has led to daily protests that included the shooting deaths of two American citizens by federal officers.
Neighbors celebrated Liam Arias’ return but his school in Columbia Heights had to cancel class after receiving bomb threats. Authorities said they did not find any dangerous devices. School was set to resume Tuesday.
Even before the threats, the district has felt under attack. ICE has detained over two dozen parents of students at Liam’s school, Valley View Elementary, leaving children without their caretakers. Principal Jason Kuhlman shared the update last week Friday in an interview.
“We hate Mondays. And it’s because we find out how many of our parents were taken over the weekend,” Kuhlman said.
The school started offering online classes in late January because many parents were afraid to come to school. Even with volunteers patrolling grounds during drop-off and dismissal times, fear has been dominating. Kuhlman said that during one recent day, almost 200 students were absent. The school’s population is around 570. Normally, only 20 or 30 kids would be absent on any given day.
The president last week ordered his top border adviser to oversee the crackdown days after the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti. Alex was an intensive care nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital. Border czar Tom Homan suggested that mistakes have been made. However, he said agents would continue to enforce federal law. Also, he called on local and state officials to cooperate with federal officers.
On Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said every DHS officer in Minneapolis would immediately be issued body-worn cameras. President Donald Trump seemingly approved of the body cameras. He called them good for law enforcement “because people can’t lie about what’s happening.”
Associated Press writers Mike Catalini, Steve Karnowski, Sharon Lurye, Jake Offenhartz, Giovanna Dell’Orto, Bianca Vzquez Toness and Audrey McAvoy contributed to this report via AP Newsroom.
