Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, Feb 1: A federal judge has ordered the release of Adrian Conejo Arias and his five-year-old son, Liam Conejo Ramos, who were detained by US immigration officers during a raid in Minnesota earlier this month.

The order was passed by US District Judge Fred Biery, who strongly criticised the manner in which the detention was carried out. In his ruling issued on Saturday, the judge described the government action as an “ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented” effort driven by deportation targets that resulted in the trauma of children.

“The case has its genesis in the ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children,” Judge Biery wrote, adding that any eventual deportation should take place through a more humane and orderly process.

Liam had drawn widespread public attention after a photograph of him wearing a blue bunny hat outside his home, with federal agents standing nearby, went viral on social media. He was among four students detained by immigration officials in a Minneapolis suburb, according to the Columbia Heights Public School District.

The boy and his father, who are Ecuadorian nationals, had entered the United States legally as asylum applicants. They were later transferred to a family detention facility in Dilley, Texas, their attorney Marc Prokosch had earlier said.

Judge Biery noted that while the family may ultimately be required to return to their home country due to the complexities of US immigration law, such outcomes must be handled with greater humanity.

The Department of Homeland Security and the family’s attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Meanwhile, Columbia Heights school district superintendent Zena Stenvik said armed and masked officers had also detained two 17-year-olds and a 10-year-old during the same operation, raising serious concerns over the impact on children and families.