Columbia Heights closes all schools Monday over 'credible threat'
Columbia Heights Public Schools shut down all classes and activities Monday after officials said they received a 'credible threat,' telling families that no students or staff should report to school. The district has not disclosed the nature of the threat, but the closure comes one day after 5‑year‑old student Liam Conejo Ramos returned home from an ICE detention facility in Texas following a federal court order. Columbia Heights has been at the center of the ICE surge controversy in recent weeks, with at least four of its students detained and still being held at a Dilley, Texas facility. District leaders publicly welcomed Liam and his father home Sunday and reiterated calls for the release of all detained children, even as they now move to address a new security concern at home. Parents are left scrambling for childcare and answers as law enforcement and school officials investigate whatever triggered the shutdown.
📌 Key Facts
- Columbia Heights Public Schools announced early Monday that all schools are closed 'out of an abundance of caution' due to a 'credible threat.'
- The district’s statement instructed that 'no students or staff should report to school today,' but did not describe the type or source of the threat.
- The closure follows weeks of ICE activity involving Columbia Heights students, including the detention of at least four children and the Sunday return from Texas of 5‑year‑old student Liam Conejo Ramos and his father after a federal judge ordered their release.
📊 Relevant Data
As of 2023, 20.7% of residents in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, are foreign-born.
Columbia Heights city, Minnesota - U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts — U.S. Census Bureau
The racial and ethnic composition of Columbia Heights, Minnesota, in 2023 is 51.5% White (Non-Hispanic), 24.7% Black or African American (Non-Hispanic), 13.3% Hispanic or Latino, 4.8% Asian (Non-Hispanic), and 6.0% two or more races.
Columbia Heights city, Minnesota - U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts — U.S. Census Bureau
In 2023, the Somali population in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, was approximately 2,482, representing 11.27% of the city's population.
Somali Population in Minnesota by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights — neilsberg.com
Operation Metro Surge, initiated in January 2026, deployed 2,000 federal agents to the Minneapolis area, resulting in over 2,000 arrests primarily targeting individuals with criminal records.
Unauthorized immigrants have less than half the incarceration rate of U.S.-born citizens for violent and drug crimes, and one-quarter for property crimes.
Explainer: Immigrants and Crime in the United States — Migration Policy Institute
The main causes of Venezuelan migration to the United States include economic and political instability, repression, and lack of basic services in Venezuela, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Venezuelan Immigrants in the United States — Migration Policy Institute
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