Protesters gathered on Wednesday, January 28, to call for the release of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, who is being held at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, alongside his father Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias.
The demonstration took place outside the immigration detention facility as concerns over the child’s welfare and broader immigration enforcement policies continued to grow nationwide.
Dozens of demonstrators converged on the facility — which houses families detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — chanting and carrying signs calling attention to the plight of detained children and demanding that authorities free Liam and his father.
Officials deployed pepper spray and other crowd-control tactics to disperse the crowd after the protest intensified outside the grounds.
The protests coincided with political pressure from elected officials. U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro, a Democrat from Texas, and fellow lawmakers including Representative Jasmine Crockett urged federal authorities to release the Minnesota family during public events and a news conference in San Antonio.
They criticized the detention as “inhumane” and symbolic of deeper issues within the immigration system. Castro and Crockett also met with Liam and Adrian inside the facility earlier in the day.
Castro described Liam’s emotional state during their visit, saying the boy appeared lethargic and sad and frequently asked about his family, classmates and life back home, raising concerns about the psychological impact of prolonged detention.
Other lawmakers and community leaders emphasized that the family entered the United States legally through an asylum application and urged the Department of Homeland Security to reconsider holding the child at all.
The case has gained widespread attention since January 20, when federal agents detained Liam and his father in Columbia Heights, Minnesota amid a larger immigration enforcement operation.
The image of the young boy in his Spider-Man backpack and winter hat during the arrest became a focal point for public criticism of ICE practices.
A federal judge in Texas has temporarily blocked the removal or deportation of the father and son while litigation over their detention continues.
Meanwhile, protesters have continued to repudiate the conditions at the Dilley facility and the broader use of family detention by immigration authorities.
As of the latest demonstrations, community advocates and political leaders remain committed to pressing for Liam’s release and intensifying calls for reforms to the immigration system that critics argue disproportionately harm children and families.
