Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday that the 5-year-old boy and his father, who were detained by ICE in Minneapolis last month, did not apply for asylum, as officials announced that the family was released over the weekend.
Blanche said there have been conflicting claims regarding the legal status of the boy, Liam Conejo Ramos, and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, who entered the U.S. in 2024, according to public reporting, though officials and the family’s lawyers dispute the circumstances of their entry and asylum processing. Lawyers representing the Ecuadorian family say they have an active asylum claim currently being processed, allowing them to remain in the country pending a court decision.
The deputy attorney general denied that they have a pending asylum case, echoing previous claims by the Department of Homeland Security, which described the family as being in the country illegally.
“That is not true. There’s a very meaningful dispute about whether they had properly applied for asylum,” Blanche said during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week.”
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FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS TRUMP ADMIN TO RELEASE 5-YEAR-OLD, HIS DAD FROM IMMIGRATION DETENTION WITHIN 3 DAYS
“I cannot get into the … specifics of this litigation, but you can read the same briefs I can. And what you just said is not true.”
While some immigrants detained by federal agents do not have prior criminal records, Blanche added that the Trump administration considers unauthorized entry into the U.S. a crime and believes such individuals should be detained.
U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche arrives for a press conference on August 11, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“The fact that they’re here illegally is a crime,” he said. “And so when you say they don’t have criminal records, they are – by their presence being here without status, having come into this country illegally or overstayed illegally, that is a crime.”
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“There is a schism in the law right now about whether an illegal alien can be held pending their proceeding or whether they need to be released on bail,” he added. “We very strongly believe that they should be held and there’s a bunch of appellate cases.”
MEDIA RUNS WILD WITH ‘EGREGIOUS LIE’ ICE TARGETED 5-YEAR-OLD IN MINNESOTA, DHS SAYS CHILD WAS ABANDONED
Liam Conejo Ramos sits with father Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias after getting released from a detention facility in Texas.(Joaquin Castro)
Blanche’s comments come after several days of widespread backlash from attorneys and lawmakers who condemned the operation that detained the five‑year‑old when his father picked him up from school on Jan. 20.
The boy and his father were released from a detention center in Dilley, Texas, on Saturday, after a judge issued a ruling earlier in the day.
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Liam Conejo Ramos and his father pass through airport security after their release from federal custody on Feb. 1, 2026.(Joaquin Castro)
Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, posted on social media Sunday that he picked up the family Saturday night and escorted them back to Minnesota the next morning.
In a letter he also shared, the congressman wrote to the boy: “Don’t let anyone tell you this isn’t your home. America became the most powerful, prosperous nation on earth because of immigrants not in spite of them.”
Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, poses with Liam Conejo Ramos, father Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., following the family’s release from a detention center in Texas.(Rep. Ilhan Omar)
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Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., celebrated their release on social media with a photo of her standing next to the family and Castro, writing, “Liam is home now and we are grateful to Joaquin Castro for traveling to Minneapolis with him and his dad. Welcome home Liam.”
Bonny Chu is a Digital Production Assistant at Fox News Digital.
Detroit Public Schools Community District hosting 5th annual alumni event
DETROIT – Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) will host their fifth annual alumni event.
On May 16, the foundation will host their Tyrone E. Winfrey Hall of Fame Alumni Gala.
The Gala honors distinguished DPSCD alumni who have made a major impact in our community and beyond.
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The night is a celebration of Detroit’s success stories and a fundraiser to create new opportunities for the next generation of students.
Organizers say there will be a major live announcement aimed at helping Detroit High School students build brighter futures.
Kerrie Mitchell, the president and CEO of the DPSCD Foundation, joined Local 4 Live to talk more about the gala, the foundation’s mission and what the announcement could mean for students across the city.
You can watch the full interview in the video at the beginning of this article.
Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.
MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee’s Festival of Flowers is returning to Riverwalk Commons at the Milwaukee Public Market this Saturday, running from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The free event features a flower market with vendors selling fresh flowers, art, and handmade goods, along with live music on the Riverwalk Common stage.
Milwaukee Public Market
A new floral art installation from Botanical Collective will also be on display, serving as a photo opportunity for attendees. The installation builds on a similar display from last year’s event.
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WATCH: Milwaukee’s Festival of Flowers returns for a second year with new additions
Milwaukee’s Festival of Flowers returns for second year with new additions
“So things that you might have seen last year are absolutely coming back. We have free live music on the Riverwalk Common stage. We have a flower market with vendors selling fresh flowers, art, handmade goods, all of that really fun stuff. Then we also have Botanical Collective last year made this beautiful floral art installation that also acted as a photo op. This year it’s going to look a little different, so we’re really excited to see what they put together,” said Paige Hammond with the Milwaukee Public Market.
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Milwaukee Public Market
Also new this year, the festival will kick off with a free yoga class at 11 a.m. Attendees are asked to bring their own mat.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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“You will expose yourself to things that most of the public won’t see, except maybe once in their life. But yep, we’re doing it. Fire departments are doing it on a very regular basis,” said Mike Dobesh, president of MNFire, an organization dedicated to keeping firefighters healthy, mentally and physically, and on the job.
“The fire service is recognizing that any of those unexpected events that we go to, yes, we sign up to do it, but at the same time, those unexpected events can cause trauma; that trauma can lead to PTSD,” Dobesh said.
However, paying for all those firefighters on mandatory PTSD leave is putting the Minneapolis Fire Department in the red. It’s all the overtime needed to fill in for the firefighters on leave.
“From the therapists that I’ve talked to, usually eight to 10 visits can get that firefighter back on the rig,” Dobesh said, which is the goal of the mandatory leave with treatment. “But then it’s going to be something that’s going to have to be managed for the… probably the rest of their career, because it’s not something that’s just going to go away.”
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Dobesh says that PTSD was the number one claim MNFire had on its critical illness policy last year.
In 2023, Minnesota lawmakers created the PTSD leave policy in an effort to keep firefighters from applying for permanent duty disability benefits. The policy requires firefighters and other first responders to take up to 32 weeks of paid leave and get treatment first.
“A trauma-informed therapist can meet with a firefighter, desensitize that firefighter, get them back to work,” Dobesh said.
But that policy is costing some fire departments millions. The Minneapolis Fire Department told the city council this week that 7% to 8% of its firefighters are currently out on PTSD leave, and the overtime other firefighters are working to fill in for them has put the department up to $7 million over budget in recent years. It’s projected to go over again this year.
So what are things they can do to maybe prevent some of these problems that they’re having because of PTSD? Speed up access to treatment, according to Dobesh.
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“The sooner we can get in and have that firefighter seen, the more likely they’re going to have a very positive outcome and get back on the job,” he said.
Dobesh says if and when a firefighter needs help varies from person to person, but his organization provides five free treatment sessions for any firefighter who’s struggling.
Minnesota firefighters can call MnFIRE’s helpline 24/7 at 888-784-6634 or visit mnfirehealth.org.
MFD Interim Chief Melanie Rucker shared the following statement late Wednesday night:
“The utilization of these leaves is often unavoidable and reflects benefits that support the health and well-being of our fire personnel. We take the health and wellness very seriously, including mental health. Through transparent communication with leadership regarding evolving staffing needs and necessary overtime budget adjustments, we can effectively address the budget overages and return to a sustainable path forward.”
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Click here to watch the Minneapolis Budget Committee meeting on May 4.
