JD Vance claims ICE were ‘saving' boy, 5, from 'freezing to death' - as fundraiser to free detained child nears $200k
A shameful image of Liam Ramos being seized by ICE agents as he returned home from school has sparked widespread outrage amid the Trump Administration’s immigration crackdown.
JD Vance has claimed ICE agents were saving a five-year-old boy from freezing to death as he defended the child’s arrest in Minneapolis.
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A shameful image of Liam Ramos being seized by ICE agents as he returned home from school on Thursday has sparked widespread outrage amid the Trump Administration’s immigration crackdown, with tensions still rumbling following the death of Renee Good, 37.
The five-year-old was detained alongside his dad Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias in Minneapolis, with the boy allegedly being used as “bait” to lure in his dad.
Defending the arrest, Vice President JD Vance asked: “So the story is that ICE detained a five-year-old? Well, what are they supposed to do?
“Are they supposed to let a five-year-old child freeze to death? Are they not supposed to arrest an illegal alien in the United States of America?”
But Vance has admitted that images of the child’s arrest are still “terrible” and “heartbreaking”.
Read more: ICE agents seize boy, 5, and his dad outside front door after returning from school run
“It’s traumatic for the kids,” he said at a press conference in Minneapolis on Thursday.
He added: “I can recognise that, and I can recognise that we’ve got to support these kids while, on the other hand, saying that just because you’re a parent doesn’t mean that you get complete immunity from law enforcement.”
Marc Prokosch, the family’s attorney, has denied that Mr Arias is an “illegal alien”.
He says there is an active asylum case and shared paperwork proving the father and son had arrived in the US at a port of entry, meaning an official crossing point.
There was no deportation order made against them, he insists, adding: “The family did everything they were supposed to in accordance with how the rules have been set out.”
“They did not come here illegally. They are not criminals,” he said. A fundraiser to “Help Bring 5-Year-Old Liam Home” has since hit nearly $200k as of Friday morning.
It was set up by Sarai Orquiz, who said she was asked by Liam’s mother, Erica, to create the GoFundMe page on her behalf to cover the legal costs of seeking his release from custody.
“This is an extremely difficult time for her … She is incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support and kindness the community has shown,” she said in a statement.She added that she was “in contact” with Erica and said the family “is doing everything they can to reunite with Liam and his dad”.
However, she stressed that legal help was expensive.
“Erica has been in contact with her son and her husband, who have stated they are ‘fine’, but we all understand that the reality of the situation is far from that,” Ms Orquiz wrote.
Liam and his dad are reportedly being held at a detention centre in San Antonio, Texas.
Zena Stenvik, an education official in Columbia Heights, a suburb of Minneapolis, immediately rushed to the fathers house when she found out the pair had been seized.
An ICE agent had taken Liam out of the car, brought him to the front door and ordered him to knock on the door asking to be let in “in order to see if anyone else was home – essentially using a five-year-old as bait”, Ms Stenvik said in a statement.
Hitting out at ICE, she said: “ICE agents have been roaming our neighborhoods, circling our schools, following our buses, coming into our parking lots and taking our kids."
"Our children are traumatized. The sense of safety in our community and around our schools is shaken,” Stenvik said.
“I can speak on behalf of all school staff when I say our hearts are shattered. After our fourth student was taken yesterday, I just thought someone has to hear the story. They’re taking children.”