The family of a 5-year-old Minnesota boy and his father who were detained by U.S. immigration agents in January is now fighting an immigration judge’s ruling that rejects their claim for asylum.
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
During the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota earlier this year, a 5-year-old boy wearing a blue bunny hat was detained with his father. The image of the boy went viral and came to symbolize the children caught up in President Trump’s immigration enforcement operations. Now the family is fighting a ruling from an immigration judge to deport them to Ecuador. Regina Medina with Minnesota Public Radio reports.
REGINA MEDINA, BYLINE: It’s been almost two months since a 5-year-old and his father were released from custody and the family reunited. Liam Conejo Ramos, his 13-year-old brother Tadeo, and his parents, Adrian Conejo Arias and Erika Ramos, who’s pregnant with their third child. A U.S. immigration judge said that an asylum application was incomplete and ruled they should return to Ecuador, their country of origin. In a video call today, Conejo Arias said his sons are attending school again, but each family member is seeing a therapist, and the family fears for their future if they must go back to Ecuador.
ADRIAN CONEJO ARIAS: (Non-English language spoken).
MEDINA: He says, “we wouldn’t have the same resources that we have here. There wouldn’t be the same opportunities for our children. We want something better for them, a better future. That’s why we seek this country that can help us offer a better future for my two sons.”
The Conejo family’s lawyer says her firm plans to meet an April 7 deadline to appeal the decision to deport the family. Conejo Arias knows exactly what he’d say if he had the chance to speak with President Trump.
CONEJO ARIAS: (Non-English language spoken).
MEDINA: He says, “I would speak to him about the children, about how they are being separated from their parents and suffering so much. I would ask him to show more feeling, more heart.” Conejo Arias says Liam still wears the blue hat but only around the house. His dad adds that he won’t wear it out because he doesn’t want to be recognized. The family attorney says the Conejos continue to live with uncertainty. For NPR News, I’m Regina Medina in St. Paul.
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