Adrian Conejo Arias, the father of a 5-year-old boy recently detained by immigration officers, has denied government claims that he abandoned his son as they were returning to Minnesota from Texas.
Arias, originally from Ecuador, spoke to ABC News stating, I love my son, Liam, and would never abandon him, disputing the Department of Homeland Security's assertion that he left Liam in a vehicle while fleeing from authorities. Arias also claimed that the boy fell ill while in federal custody and was denied necessary medication.
In a statement, Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, 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. She insisted that immigration officers stayed with the child throughout the incident.
Arias refuted McLaughlin's claims, asserting that he was arrested unjustly and had a pending asylum hearing that kept him legally in the country. His allegations regarding his son's health while in custody were not addressed by McLaughlin.
The situation escalated when a federal judge ordered that the two be released, allowing them to return to Minnesota, as confirmed by Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas. This incident is part of a wider pattern of protests against immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump's administration.
The uproar surrounding the boy's detention intensified as images surfaced showing immigration officers surrounding Liam, who was wearing a blue bunny hat and carrying a Spider-Man backpack.
McLaughlin reiterated that ICE did not target the child, stating that officers never attempted to arrest him, and emphasized that the mother was given the option to take custody of the child without facing arrest. However, neighbors have accused officers of using the child as bait to draw his mother out, a claim disputed by DHS.
Arias' arrest comes amid a backdrop of increased immigration crackdowns and concerns over the treatment of asylum-seekers. Ecuadorians have increasingly sought asylum in the U.S. amidst rising violence in their home country, however, they often face significant challenges in gaining approval due to strict immigration policies.
In a biting critique, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery condemned the government's actions in this case, stating it stemmed from ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children. The Justice Department has not scheduled any hearings for Arias' asylum case following this incident.
