Judge grants continuance in the asylum case of Liam Conejo Ramos and his family
By Alisha Ebrahimji, Meridith Edwards, Emma Tucker, CNN
(CNN) — Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his family will have more time to make their case for asylum.
At a Friday court hearing for the family’s asylum case, a judge granted a continuance, which postpones the case to a later date, family attorney Danielle Molliver told CNN.
There is no indication when the next hearing is expected, said Molliver, who added, “We’re grateful for the outpouring from the community and we remain committed to the family and this community.”
Attorneys for the family had asked the court for more time to respond to the motion by the Department of Homeland Security.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the family is not slated for expedited removal and the motion is standard procedure.
“There is nothing retaliatory about enforcing the nation’s immigration laws,” she said in a statement to CNN.
Zena Stenvik, superintendent of Liam’s school district, Columbia Heights Public Schools, said Friday’s ruling “provides additional time, and with that, continued uncertainty for a child and his family,” as she stressed the family is asking for privacy.
“Our concern remains centered on Liam and all children who deserve stability, safety and the opportunity to be in school without fear. We will continue to advocate for outcomes that prioritize children,” Stenvik said.
The 5‑year‑old and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, were taken from their snowy suburban Minneapolis driveway last month to a family detention center in Dilley, Texas, sparking widespread outrage after images of a federal agent clutching the boy’s Spider‑Man backpack as he looked on beneath a cartoon bunny hat circulated.
After more than a week at the Dilley center, the preschooler and his Ecuadorian father are back home in Minneapolis after a judge ordered them to be released, which ended their detention but left their future in the United States in limbo.
Rep. Joaquin Castro, the Texas Democrat who helped escort them back to Minnesota on Sunday, emphasized at a Friday news conference the father and son “don’t have a criminal record” and represent no threat to the community.
“They should leave Liam alone,” Castro told reporters, referring to the federal government.
“His family came in legally through the asylum process,” Castro said. “And when I left the Dilley detention center, one of the ICE officers explained to me that his father was on a one-year parole in place, so they should allow that to continue.”
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