A federal judge on Saturday ordered the release of a 5-year-old boy whose detention by immigration authorities in Minnesota last week sparked international outcry.
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery said in a scathing court order that the Trump administration must release Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrián Alexander Conejo Arias by Tuesday.
The father and son were taken into custody by immigration authorities on Jan. 20, as the child was on his way home from preschool. The pair have since been detained in South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas.
The case drew widespread outrage after an image of Ramos — wearing a blue hat and a backpack as he was being taken into custody by immigration authorities — went viral online.
“Observing human behavior confirms that for some among us, the perfidious lust for unbridled power and the imposition of cruelty in its quest know no bounds and are bereft of human decency,” Biery wrote in his order, referring to the boy’s detention. “And the rule of law be damned.”
Representatives for the Department of Homeland Security, Ramos and his father did not immediately return requests for comment.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
