Defiant protests erupt over US immigration crackdown, detention of child

Thousands of people defied freezing temperatures on Friday to protest the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, as anger mounted over the detention of a five-year-old migrant boy. The demonstrations were accompanied by widespread business closures in protest of the ongoing federal operation in Minnesota.

Dozens of restaurants, entertainment venues, and other businesses shut down as part of a coordinated day of action opposing the weeks-long immigration enforcement campaign.

Public outrage intensified after images circulated showing a distressed preschooler, Liam Conejo Ramos, being held by immigration officers who were attempting to arrest his father. The crackdown has already drawn criticism following an incident in which a federal agent shot and killed a US citizen.

The superintendent of Columbia Heights Public Schools said Ramos, a preschool pupil, and his Ecuadorian father, Adrian Conejo Arias both asylum seekers were taken from their driveway on Tuesday as they arrived home. She alleged that officers later used the child to lure others out of the house.

One demonstrator told reporters he joined the march because “if we don’t fight, we don’t win,” holding a sign that read “five-years-old, dude,” in reference to the boy.

Thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been deployed to the Democratic-led city as President Donald Trump intensifies efforts to deport undocumented immigrants nationwide.

During a visit to Minneapolis on Thursday, Vice President JD Vance confirmed that Ramos was detained but said agents were acting to protect him after his father allegedly fled from officers. “What are they supposed to do?” Vance asked. “Let a five-year-old child freeze to death?”

UN human rights chief Volker Turk urged US authorities to halt what he described as the harmful treatment of migrants and refugees.

ICE records showed that Arias was being held at a detention facility in Texas, though the database does not disclose the locations of minors.

Senior Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino defended the handling of the child, insisting officers were trained to deal with children. ICE commander Marcos Charles said officers made efforts to reunite Ramos with his family, alleging that relatives refused to open the door after the father ran. He added that both father and son would remain in custody pending immigration proceedings, claiming they entered the country illegally.

Ramos’s teacher described him as a bright and enthusiastic student.

As temperatures dropped to minus 23 degrees Celsius on Friday, protesters wrapped in winter clothing chanted “ICE out” across Minneapolis. Separate demonstrations were held outside Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport over its use in deportation operations.

A Methodist pastor said about 100 clergy members were arrested at the airport during protests and charged with trespassing and disobeying a peace officer.

Former vice president Kamala Harris condemned the child’s detention, calling it “outrageous” and describing Ramos as “just a baby.”

School officials said at least four children in the same district have been detained this month. Protests in the city have grown increasingly tense since federal agents shot and killed US citizen Renee Good on January 7. An autopsy ruled the death a homicide, though the officer involved has not been suspended or charged.

The lawyer representing Ramos and his father said they followed legal procedures in applying for asylum in Minneapolis, a sanctuary city. Minnesota authorities are seeking a temporary restraining order to halt the ICE operation, with a court hearing scheduled for Monday.