Judge denies asylum for Ecuadorian boy
An immigration judge denied asylum to a boy from Ecuador who had been detained by ICE in Minnesota, ending his claim in a decision covered by Reuters. The ruling highlights continued challenges for detained child asylum seekers in U.S. immigration courts. (x.com)
The child is identified as 5‑year‑old Liam Conejo Ramos of Columbia Heights, who was photographed outside his home wearing a blue “bunny” hat when federal agents detained him on Jan. 20. (mprnews.org)) U.S. Immigration Judge John Burns issued the decision ending asylum claims for Liam and his family and ordered their removal from the United States. (mprnews.org)) The family named in filings includes father Adrian Conejo Arias, mother Erika Ramos (reported to be pregnant), and a 13‑year‑old brother; the family was sent to a family detention center in Dilley, Texas after the Jan. 20 raid and spent roughly 10 days in custody before a release order. (mprnews.org)) A U.S. district judge in Texas, Fred Biery, ordered Liam and his father released from the Dilley facility on Jan. 31 and the pair returned to Minnesota on Feb. 1. (abcnews.com)) The Department of Homeland Security filed a motion in early February seeking to end the family’s asylum claims and said the move represented standard enforcement rather than expedited removal, according to DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin. (usnews.com)) Attorneys for the family, including Danielle Molliver and the Nwokocha & Operana firm, have filed an appeal of the immigration judge’s order to the Board of Immigration Appeals, a process the lawyers say could take months or years. (mprnews.org)) If the Board upholds the immigration judge’s ruling and further appeals fail, courts and local reporting say the family faces removal to Ecuador, their country of origin. (mprnews.org))
