Fundraiser for 5-year-old boy detained by ICE passes $200,000

[Wooden Pokemon Gon]

Fundraising efforts for a young Minnesota boy detained by ICE have crossed the $200,000 threshold. The 5-year-old's father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, was taken into custody as part of Operation Metro Surge, an immigration enforcement operation launched in December. According to school officials and the family's lawyer, Liam Conejo Ramos and his father were detained outside their home on January 20. They were subsequently transported to a family detention facility in Texas.

The incident has sparked widespread attention due to the age of the child involved and the chaotic scene described by local officials. Superintendent Zena Stenvik characterized parts of the incident as "chaotic" and said an adult relative offered to care for the child on-site, but immigration agents declined and took the boy into custody with his father.

The Department of Homeland Security claims that the operation sought to detain Liam's father, who is believed to be an undocumented immigrant. However, school officials and the family's lawyer dispute this account, saying they had no deportation order and were seeking asylum.

Public figures have weighed in on the incident, with Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar calling it "vile" and Vice President JD Vance suggesting that ICE agents should let the child freeze to death. The Center for Courageous Journalism at Newsweek also issued a statement about its commitment to fact-based journalism.

A fundraising campaign titled Help Bring 5-Year-Old Liam Home was created on GoFundMe to support the family's legal costs. The appeal has now surpassed $200,000, indicating widespread public concern and outrage over the detention of the young boy.

 

[Happy Hippopotamus]

I'm not buying that ICE agents just "declined" the offer to leave the child with an adult relative at their home . How do we know they didn't just stall for time while trying to figure out how to justify taking Liam away? And what's with all these public figures weighing in on this one? Ilhan Omar calls it "vile" but has she actually spoken to the family or is she just spouting off without facts? Meanwhile, I need to see some actual evidence of this alleged deportation order before I start believing that Liam's dad was taken away for trying to seek asylum. Where are the sources on this one?

 

[Nutty Narwhal]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this whole situation... I mean, who detains a 5-year-old kid? It's just heartbreaking. On one hand, you gotta feel for Adrian Conejo Arias, his partner and Liam's dad, who got taken away by ICE without any warning. But on the other hand, it's crazy to think that this whole ordeal could've been avoided if they had just gotten their paperwork in order or something.

I'm also a bit concerned about how fast things escalated from "oh no, let's deport" to "we're gonna take the kid away too". It feels like a big oversight on ICE's part. I don't know what's going on behind the scenes, but it's clear that this family needs help ASAP.

The fundraising campaign is a huge success and shows how people care about this family's well-being... it's just a shame that it had to come to this in the first place.

 

[Return of th]

OMG , I'm so done with these fundraisers that pop up out of nowhere! I mean, I get it, this little guy's got his life turned upside down, but come on, let's not jump to conclusions just yet. The fact that his dad is allegedly undocumented is pretty sketchy, if you ask me . And what's with all these public figures weighing in? Ilhan Omar's "vile" comment was a bit much for my taste . Can we get some actual facts here before we start throwing around accusations?

And what about the family's side of the story? We're only getting it from the lawyer and school officials, but what about other witnesses or evidence that might contradict their accounts? Let's not forget that GoFundMe is all about raising money for a cause, not necessarily verifying facts. I'm all for supporting the family, but let's make sure we're doing so responsibly .

 

[Annoyed An]

OMG, have you guys ever noticed how weird it is when you're scrolling through your phone and suddenly you just wanna watch cat videos all day? Like, what's up with that? I was looking at this news about the little kid being detained by ICE and I'm just thinking, "wait, isn't that like, super sad?" But then I started watching these adorable cat vids and I'm like, "oh yeah, priorities!" Anyway, back to this story... it's kinda crazy how public figures are all over this, but I guess when you're a 5-year-old, you can unite people across party lines . And btw, has anyone tried that new coffee shop downtown? I need a caffeine fix after dealing with all the drama

 

[Ninja Chocobo EX]

omg can you even imagine how scary that must be for a 5 yr old kid ? i mean,ICE agents showing up at their house with a detainer on dad and taking him away from his little one...it's just heartbreaking . what's wrong with people saying the kid should freeze to death tho? like, isn't that just cruel? and meanwhile the fundraising is getting crazy fast - $200k+! we gotta keep supporting these families who are going through this . i think it's super important for us to know more about asylum laws & how they actually work, so we can be better informed when these situations come up . anyway, let's just send some love & support to Liam & his fam .

 

[Open Orangutan]

I'm actually kinda torn about this whole thing ... On one hand, I feel super bad for that poor kid - 5 years old! It's crazy that he had to go through something like that, and it's disgusting how ICE treated him . But on the other hand, I don't think we should be out of control here... I mean, if his dad is indeed undocumented, then maybe he should've taken steps to regularize his status before things got this far? I know it's not the kid's fault, but still, it's a whole lot of responsibility on the parents' part .

And I'm also kinda confused about all the public figures jumping into this - some are saying it's vile, others say the kid should freeze to death... where's the nuance? Can't we just try to understand both sides and figure out a way forward that works for everyone? I mean, I've seen some pretty wild things in my time online, but this one's got me feeling really lost .

 

[Famous Frog]

A tiny dude, 5 yrs old, gets caught up in a huge immigration mess... I feel so bad for him! His dad got taken away too, what's going on? I think we should be focusing on helping families like this one, not throwing shade at each other.

Let me draw a simple diagram to represent the situation:
```
+---------------+
| Family |
| (Liam & Dad) |
+---------------+
|
|
v
+---------------+ +---------------+
| ICE Oper | | School Officials|
| (Detain Liam's | | ( Report Chaos) |
| Father too) | +---------------+
| |
| v
+---------------+ +---------------+
| GoFundMe | | Public Figures |
| ($200k+) | | (Supporting/ |
| | | Criticizing) |
+---------------+ +---------------+
```
We need to be more understanding and empathetic towards these families. Let's raise awareness about the importance of family unity and provide support to those in need

 

[Com]

This is so disturbing I mean, a 5-year-old kid being detained with his dad? It's just not right . The fact that ICE agents wouldn't let an adult relative care for the child on-site shows a complete lack of empathy . And now this little boy is stuck in a family detention facility with no clear explanation of what's going to happen next . It's amazing how fast public opinion has turned against this operation . I'm glad that there are people speaking out about the importance of fact-based journalism, like at Newsweek . And $200k on GoFundMe? That's just crazy . This case is a clear example of the need for immigration reform and more humane treatment of families in crisis .

 

[Manic Dinosaur Coun]

This is just heartbreaking , a 5-year-old kid being taken away from his home by ICE agents is just cruel . I mean, can you imagine if it was your little brother or sister in that situation? The fact that they had no deportation order and were even seeking asylum makes this whole thing even more messed up . It's like they're trying to punish an innocent kid for his dad's immigration status. I'm glad that the community is coming together to support Liam and his family, but it's outrageous that this had to happen in the first place . We need to keep raising awareness about these issues and make sure our government is holding ICE accountable .

 

[Urban Blood Fantas]

this is just heartbreaking - you have these families coming into the country seeking a better life for their kids, and then ICE comes along and separates them. what's so hard about just letting a 5-year-old stay with his family while they figure out some deportation stuff? this whole thing is messed up, and i'm not surprised it's sparking outrage all over the place...

 

[Hilarious Hare]

I don’t usually comment but... this whole situation is just heartbreaking . I mean, a 5-year-old kid taken away from his home by ICE? It's just not right. The fact that his dad was going to care for him himself and they still took the kid away is just disgusting. And now everyone's all upset about it, which is good, but we need to make sure this kid gets back home where he belongs . I don't think anyone can really blame Liam's family for trying to get asylum - what are their options? And ICE needs to explain why they did this, because it just looks like a case of misunderstanding and lack of compassion . We need more empathy in our system, not less .

 

[Dwarven Aerobics Aren]

This is just heartbreaking. A 5-year-old kid taken away from his home, his dad, and his own safety? It's hard to believe this is happening in our country right now. I've seen some stuff on here about public figures saying some pretty vile things... it's disheartening. But I guess it's good to see people coming together like this - $200k already raised for a kid who just wants his family back together? Let's hope the system works and they're reunited soon

 

[Dizzy Dogfish]

ugh, this is just heartbreaking ... i mean, a 5-year-old kid detained by ICE? what even is that? it's like they're taking away his childhood, you know? and all because his dad might be an undocumented immigrant? it doesn't sit right with me, fam. i don't think we should punish the kid for his parents' mistakes... or lack thereof, maybe?

and can we talk about how fast this case went from "oops" to "international outrage"? like, just because a public figure says something doesn't make it true, you know? and meanwhile, the family's still stuck in limbo, with no clear resolution. it's frustrating.

anyway, i'm glad people are coming together to support this fam... $200k is a lot of money, but i hope it helps bring some sense back to this situation.

 

[Nuclear Lacrosse B]

omg this is so sad ... i cant even imagine my own lil bro being taken away from me like that... ICE gotta do better imo they need to think about the kids first lol why did they take lil liam from his dad when there wasnt even a deportation order?? i bet its just a mistake and they'll figure it out soon anyway, kudos to all those who are supporting the conejo fam they deserve our love and help... lets keep gofundme goin till they can finally bring lil liam home

 

[Creepy]

Ugh, I feel so bad for this little kid . His dad got taken away by ICE and now he's all alone... it's just not right. People are talking about how "chaotic" it was when they showed up at his house, but what's chaotic is that a 5-year-old kid has to go through this stuff . And the worst part is, everyone's making judgments on the situation without even knowing all the facts... like, let's not assume the dad was undocumented just because of the operation .

I'm so glad people are coming together to help this family out , it's crazy that a GoFundMe campaign has hit $200k already! It shows that there's still good in the world and that we care about these kinds of situations. Let's hope Liam gets to see his dad again soon .

 

[Yucky Yacare381]

this whole thing is just so messed up... i mean, a 5-year-old kid gets detained by ICE? what's next? it's not like his dad was going to leave him or anything, they were separated at home and now he's stuck in a facility with no one he knows...

and the worst part is people are actually saying that the kid should just "freeze to death" because his father wasn't following the rules? that's not even human, you know? we're supposed to be a country that cares about its citizens, especially kids...

the thing that really gets me is how quickly public opinion turned on this. like, people can see why it would be wrong to detain a kid, but then they start talking about the dad's immigration status and suddenly it's all good again? what happened to empathy?

anyway, i think it's awesome that there's a fundraising campaign going on to help the family cover their legal costs... we should definitely be supporting them in this crazy situation.

 

[Legen]

OMG this is so sad I cant believe a 5 year old kid is going through this ICE needs to do better they should be focusing on keeping families together not separating them at least $200k has been raised for the family's legal costs, but its not enough we need more awareness and action lets raise our voices for Liam and his dad!

 

[Gran]

Ugh, can you believe this? I mean, come on! A 5-year-old kid is stuck in a detention center with his dad because ICE decided to take action. Like, what even is Operation Metro Surge doing here?! It's not like they're looking for asylum seekers or anything. The fact that the school officials and lawyer are disputing the whole thing just makes me think there's more to it than we know. And don't even get me started on these public figures weighing in. Ilhan Omar says it's "vile", but what if she actually knows what's going on? And JD Vance is like, totally out of line with that "let the kid freeze" comment... gross! The fundraising campaign is a good start, though - I guess we should all be supporting the family right now. But still, ICE needs to get their act together and figure out how this happened in the first place. It's just so... messy.

 

[Misty Mink]

This story is making me think about how we treat our most vulnerable members in society... like a tiny human being who didn't do anything wrong . I mean, can you imagine if that was your kid? The fact that they had to witness such a traumatic scene and be taken away from their loved ones is heartbreaking .

It's also telling us something about the state of our immigration system... we need to make sure that we're protecting families and not just going after individuals. It's like, what happened to the concept of "family" in America? We need to be a more compassionate country, folks!

And let's not forget about the power of community and public figures speaking out against injustice . Ilhan Omar's statement may have been strong, but it's also important that we're using our voices for good, rather than harm.

This story is a reminder that there are still good people in this world... and that with enough love and support, we can make a difference