ICE Detains Father and 5-Year-Old Boy in Minnesota

Two asylum seekers, a five-year-old boy and his father, have been released from a detention facility in Texas after being detained as part of the US government’s immigration raids. The pair, who are from Ecuador, were held at the Dilley detention centre for 10 days before being ordered to be released by a US District Judge.

On Saturday night, Texas Democratic Representative Joaquin Castro accompanied the boy and his father home in Minnesota. Castro posted photos of the child on social media, including images of him wearing a blue bunny hat and backpack.

According to reports, immigration officials had arrested the boy’s father on January 20 as he arrived home from preschool. The boy was one of four students detained by immigration officials in a Minneapolis suburb. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has stated that ICE did not target or arrest the boy, but rather his mother refused to take him after his father’s apprehension.

The DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said that the Trump administration is committed to restoring the rule of law and common sense in the immigration system. The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations that federal immigration officers used the preschooler as “bait” to get his mother to answer the door, calling the description of events an “abject lie”.

A US District Judge has criticized the government’s actions, stating that the case began with a flawed pursuit of daily deportation quotas and resulted in the traumatization of children. The judge also cited the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution, which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures.

US Representative Ilhan Omar posted a photo on social media of herself with the boy, his father, and Castro, holding the boy’s Spider-Man backpack.

Source: Al Jazeera