Parents give heartbreaking update on five-year-old detained by ICE months after incident

Liam Conejo Ramos was just five when ICE agents stopped him and his father in Minnesota, turning an ordinary day into something lasting. Though they were held for about two weeks in a Texas facility, his parents say the impact has been deep—he now fears law enforcement, struggles socially, and attends therapy to cope .

His mother says he freezes at the sight of officers, convinced they’ve come for him again. His father disputes claims he tried to flee, insisting they followed the rules. Even after their release, the threat of deportation remains. What lingers most is a difficult question: how do you restore a child’s sense of safety once it’s been shaken?