"He's no longer as he was before," his father, Adrián Conejo Arias, said
Credit: Handout / Columbia Heights Public Schools / AFP via Getty; CBS News
NEED TO KNOW
- Liam Conejo Ramos’ parents say his behavior has changed since being detained by ICE
- The 5-year-old made headlines in January 2026 when he was detained in his family’s driveway as he and his father returned home from preschool
- “He sees police officers, and he says, ‘It’s ICE, Mommy,’ ” his mother said of her son’s hypervigilance
The parents of Liam Conejo Ramos continue to worry about his mental health in the wake of the 5-year-old boy being detained by federal immigration agents.
Adrián Conejo Arias and Erika Ramos are navigating how to care for their young son who now acts “very different” since he was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minneapolis on Jan. 20, the mother and father told CBS News in an interview published on Monday, April 6.
"As parents, it worries us a lot that he's no longer as he was before and we're worried this could last a long time," Conejo Arias said during an interview translated from Spanish to English. "It does worry us that this will not heal quickly."
"My boy is very different," Ramos added.
Liam and his father were returning home from preschool when ICE agents placed them in custody in the family’s driveway.
Images from the scene, which showed Liam still wearing his backpack and a hat with bunny ears, went viral and sparked outrage after the father and son were separated and detained.
After being taken from their Columbia Heights suburb, both Liam and his father were flown to a family detention center in Dilley, Texas, where they spent nearly two weeks before a judge ordered their release.
Though Liam is now regularly seeing a psychologist, his mom and dad told CBS News they can see changes in their child’s behavior, such as hypervigilance and not wanting to be around people.
Ramos claimed her son still lives in fear when he sees law enforcement.
"He sees police officers, and he says, 'It's ICE, Mommy,' " she said.
ICE previously claimed that Conejo Arias abandoned Liam as he tried to escape capture, an allegation that Conejo Arias denies.
"It's not true what people are saying," he said. "I never did and never would."
Credit: Congressman Joaquin Castro/Facebook
During a press conference in Minneapolis on Jan. 22, Vice President JD Vance defended ICE agents saying he was proud that President Donald Trump’s administration was "standing behind law enforcement," and proud of the fact they're "enforcing the country's laws."
After referring to Conejo Arias as “an illegal alien in the United States of America,” Vance added, “It’s traumatic for the kids. I can recognize that, and I can recognize 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.”
One of the family's attorneys, Paschal Nwokocha, previously told PEOPLE that Liam’s family entered the country legally in 2024 as asylum seekers at a border crossing in Brownsville, Texas through the CBP One app.
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The Biden-era program allowed migrants to schedule an appointment to gain entry into the United States to reduce illegal border crossings.
The White House did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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