Liam Ramos, 5, Is Not Collateral: ICE Must Stop Targeting Kids

Washington, D.C. — Following the detention of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minnesota, Voto Latino strongly condemns the escalating use of aggressive immigration enforcement tactics that target children and separate families.

In response, Voto Latino released the following statement: 

“On a day meant to end with laughter, crayons scattered across the table, and a warm meal shared with his family, five-year-old Liam’s life was shattered. Instead of walking through his front door after preschool—excited to see his mother, and to be wrapped in her arms, Liam was taken by armed and masked ICE agents. In a matter of moments, his childhood routine was replaced with fear and separation. 

Liam’s detention is outrageous and indefensible. This is not an isolated incident—Liam is the fourth child detained by ICE from the same school community. ICE is now targeting children: agents are following school buses, surveilling neighborhoods, and apprehending parents and children in school parking lots—turning places meant for learning and safety into sites of terror. DHS leadership is allowing this to happen. This is cruelty masquerading as policy.

Tonight, Liam is not being tucked in by his mother. He is not hearing a bedtime story or feeling the comfort of home. He is hundreds of miles away in a detention facility alone, frightened, and forced to endure a trauma no child should ever know.

Voto Latino calls for the immediate reunification of Liam with his family, an end to immigration enforcement actions that target children and school communities, full accountability and meaningful oversight of ICE. Voto Latino is urging Congress to impeach DHS Secretary Kristi Noem for overseeing an enforcement approach that has spiraled out of control—one that prioritizes fear over humanity and punishment over the rule of law.”

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Voto Latino is a civic advocacy organization dedicated to educating and empowering the next generation of Latino voters while working to build a more inclusive and representative democracy. Since its founding, Voto Latino has registered over two million voters. In 2024, the organization took legal action to protect voting rights, filing multiple lawsuits in Texas, Arizona, and North Carolina to safeguard access to the ballot ahead of the elections.