Judge orders 2‑year‑old released from ICE custody
A federal judge ordered a 2‑year‑old released from ICE custody, part of a series of Minnesota rulings during Operation Metro Surge that have blocked or limited rapid deportations of children seized in the raids. Similar emergency habeas orders — including one requiring ICE to release 5‑year‑old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father and barring their removal by a court‑set deadline — have targeted individual cases and whole family units, providing case‑specific relief rather than a broad injunction against the operation.
📌 Key Facts
- This reporting concerns a different case than earlier coverage of a 2‑year‑old: it involves 5‑year‑old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father.
- A federal judge ordered ICE to affirmatively release Liam and his father from detention by a specified Tuesday deadline and barred their removal while their case proceeds.
- The order bars removal of both the child and the father, signaling judicial scrutiny of ICE’s authority over whole family units, not only minors.
- The ruling is case‑specific and does not impose a broad injunction against Operation Metro Surge, though it reinforces that individual habeas petitions can block rapid deportations.
- The decision adds to a mounting tally of successful emergency habeas actions filed on behalf of people detained in Minnesota and flown or threatened with transfer out of state.
- Minnesota federal judges have increasingly stepped in to block or limit ICE’s ability to remove children seized during Metro Surge operations.
📊 Relevant Data
Undocumented immigrants had a property crime arrest rate of 38.5 per 100,000 compared to 165.2 per 100,000 for U.S.-born citizens in recent data.
Undocumented Immigrant Offending Rate Lower Than U.S.-Born Citizens — U.S. House of Representatives
ICE violated at least 96 court orders in Minnesota since January 1, 2026, during Operation Metro Surge.
Operation Metro Surge — Wikipedia
In 61 challenges to immigrant detention in Minnesota last week, 60 succeeded, blocking detentions or removals.
Minnesota judges nearly shut out DOJ in a week of immigrant detention hearings — MS NOW
From 2020 to 2024, over 81,000 new immigrants moved to Minnesota, making immigration the primary driver of population change.
Immigration became the leading component of population growth in Minnesota this decade — Minnesota Chamber of Commerce
Over 244,000 Ecuadorians have requested asylum in the US since 2021, driven by economic hardship and a surge in violence in Ecuador.
Why Have Hundreds of Thousands Fled Ecuador Since 2020? — AULABLOG
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- This article concerns a different child: 5‑year‑old Liam Conejo Ramos, not the previously reported 2‑year‑old.
- The judge’s order requires ICE to affirmatively release Liam and his father from detention by a specific Tuesday deadline and bars their removal while their case proceeds.
- The ruling explicitly confirms that the relief is case‑specific and does not create a broad injunction against Operation Metro Surge, though it reinforces that individual habeas petitions can block rapid deportations.
- This article concerns a different family — a 5‑year‑old boy and his father — but it reinforces the same pattern: Minnesota federal judges stepping in to block or limit ICE’s ability to remove children seized during Metro Surge operations.
- The new order bars removal of both the child and the father, not just the child, indicating courts are scrutinizing ICE’s authority over whole family units, not only minors.
- The ruling adds to the mounting tally of successful emergency habeas actions filed on behalf of people detained in Minnesota and flown or threatened with transfer out of state.