Thousands of people braved extreme cold on Friday to protest the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, as public anger grew over the detention of a five year old migrant boy during a federal enforcement operation.
Dozens of restaurants, cultural venues and other businesses closed their doors as part of a coordinated day of action opposing the weeks long immigration sweep underway in Minnesota. Demonstrators filled the streets despite freezing temperatures, with some areas recording lows of minus twenty three degrees Celsius.
Outrage intensified after images circulated of a frightened preschool child, identified as Liam Conejo Ramos, being held by immigration officers. Authorities were attempting to arrest the boy’s father when the incident occurred.
The superintendent of Columbia Heights Public Schools said Ramos and his Ecuadorian father, Adrian Conejo Arias, both asylum seekers, were taken from their driveway as they arrived home earlier in the week. The superintendent added that officers later used the child to draw others out of the house.
Protesters carried signs referencing the boy’s age and chanted slogans calling for immigration authorities to leave the city. One demonstrator said the protest was about resisting authoritarianism and protecting vulnerable families.
Federal immigration authorities have deployed thousands of agents to Minneapolis as President Donald Trump pushes forward with a nationwide campaign to deport undocumented migrants. Vice President JD Vance, who visited the city on Thursday, confirmed that the child was detained but said officers were acting to protect him after his father fled.
United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk urged United States authorities to end what he described as harmful treatment of migrants and refugees.
Immigration officials said the boy’s father was being held at a detention facility in Texas, while the whereabouts of the child were not publicly listed due to his age. Officials defended their actions, insisting officers acted professionally and attempted to reunite the child with his family.
Local teachers described Ramos as a bright and cheerful student. School administrators said at least four children from the same district had been detained in recent weeks.
Protests also took place outside Minneapolis Saint Paul International Airport over its use in deportation operations. Clergy members joined demonstrations at the airport, with more than one hundred arrested on charges including trespassing and failure to obey police orders.
Former vice president Kamala Harris condemned the detention, calling the child just a baby and expressing outrage at the incident.
Minnesota officials have sought a temporary court order to halt the federal immigration operation in the state. A hearing on the request is scheduled for Monday, as tensions remain high following recent enforcement actions and a fatal shooting involving federal agents earlier this month.
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