Khaberni - The incident of detaining a 5-year-old child accompanied by his father, inside a center affiliated with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Texas, has sparked widespread controversy and anger in the United States, amid accusations of harsh methods being used in deportation raids.
According to American media, child Liam Ramos and his father were arrested two days ago at the entrance of their home in a suburb of Minneapolis after returning from kindergarten. The family's lawyer, Mark Brokaw, confirmed that the family is from Ecuador and entered the United States legally after filing a formal asylum request through border crossings last December (December).
Brokaw, during a press conference, explained that the family completely followed the legal pathway, emphasizing that the father has no criminal record, and that their detention occurred despite there being no deportation orders issued against them.
Zena Steenvik, the district education director in Columbia Heights, said immigration officers refused to hand over the child to another adult who was present outside the house and pleaded to take care of him.
She pointed out that one of the officers asked the child to knock on the door to check if there were any other people inside, describing the incident as "using a five-year-old child as a means of pressure," which caused widespread shock in educational and rights circles.
Conversely, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security denied these accusations, stating that the child was not targeted, and that the father attempted to flee and left his son alone, prompting an officer to stay with the child for his safety. The department added that the policy allows asking parents whether they want to accompany their children during deportation, or if they prefer to designate a safe person to hand them over to.
During the recent weeks, immigration authorities in Minnesota have detained at least 4 children in similar operations, among them students in various educational stages, prompting local school administrations and officials to question the rationale behind detaining small children in immigration law enforcement campaigns.
These developments occur amidst a broad crackdown on immigrants in several American states, accompanied by protests and public movements, prompting the U.S. military to place additional units in a state of readiness in anticipation of potential disturbances.
