Five-year-old boy’s health deteriorating in Texas Immigration Detention, family says
Liam Conejo Ramos, a 5-year-old boy taken into custody by immigration agents in Minneapolis last week, is now experiencing health problems
TEXAS (MNTV) – Liam Conejo Ramos, a 5-year-old boy taken into custody by immigration agents in Minneapolis last week, is now experiencing health problems while being held at a Texas detention facility his family describes as having deplorable conditions.
Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, are currently detained at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, as reported by Commondreams.org.
The family’s lawyer maintains that Arias entered the country legally and has no criminal record. A federal judge temporarily blocked deportation proceedings against both of them late Tuesday.
Columbia Heights school district superintendent Zena Stenvik, who spoke with Ramos’ mother, expressed serious concern about the child’s condition. She reported that Liam has been ill with a fever and that his well-being in the facility is worrying.
The boy’s mother told Minnesota Public Radio that Liam is becoming sick due to poor food quality. She described him as having stomach pain, vomiting, fever, and refusing to eat.
Family attorney Eric Lee characterized conditions at the Texas facility as unacceptable, alleging that staff mix baby formula with contaminated water, that food contains insects, and that guards are often verbally abusive toward detainees.
Another family lawyer, Marc Prokosch, stressed that despite ICE describing them as illegal border crossers, the family entered the US lawfully with no deportation orders or criminal history. He expressed concern that rapid transfers to Texas—often within 24 hours—appear designed to separate detainees from their legal counsel.
Democratic Representatives Joaquin Castro and Jasmine Crockett of Texas visited the detention facility Wednesday, where approximately 1,100 people are being held. Castro reported that many parents described their children experiencing depression, anxiety, and weight loss due to both poor food quality and deteriorating mental health.
Castro said he directly told ICE officials and representatives from CoreCivic, the private company operating the facility, that public opposition to Liam’s detention is widespread and that releasing a five-year-old child from such conditions is imperative.
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