Oh, the humanity! The shrieking harpies of the open-borders brigade are at it again, wailing about how those big, bad immigration agents supposedly used a helpless five-year-old boy as “bait” to snag his illegal immigrant father. Anti-enforcement activists and their media lapdogs are peddling this tear-jerker tale like it’s the next big Hollywood blockbuster, complete with dramatic driveway scenes in snowy Minnesota. But let’s cut through the sob-sister nonsense and get to the facts. This isn’t some heartless kidnapping plot—it’s a straightforward case of enforcing the law against criminals who shouldn’t be here in the first place. And spoiler alert: the kid wasn’t bait; he was abandoned by his own fleeing father.
The Driveway Drama: What Really Went Down in Columbia Heights
It all kicked off on January 20, 2026, in the Minneapolis suburb of Columbia Heights. Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos—let’s call him Liam for short—was heading home from preschool with his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, an Ecuadorian national who sneaked into the country illegally and got a free pass under the previous administration’s catch-and-release farce. Agents rolled up for a targeted arrest of the father. What happened next? Daddy dearest bolted on foot, leaving little Liam behind in the car like yesterday’s trash.
Now, picture this: sub-zero temperatures in Minnesota, a preschooler alone in a running vehicle. Agents didn’t snatch the kid for fun—they stayed with him for his safety while chasing down the runaway parent. Later, agents tried to hand Liam off to a family member at the house, but no dice. The so-called “bait” claim comes from spinning a yarn about agents making the boy knock on the door to lure out relatives. Sounds sinister, right? Except it’s been flatly denied—the knock was just to check if anyone was home to take the child. No bait, no trap—just basic human decency toward a kid ditched by his own dad.
In the end, the father—caught nearby—begged to keep Liam with him. So, off they went together to a family detention center in Texas, where they’re being processed for deportation. Parents get asked if they want to fly out with their kids or designate a safe guardian. This one chose door number one. And get this: illegals can even use an app for a free flight home plus $2,600 in pocket change. How’s that for compassionate enforcement?
The Left’s Manufactured Outrage: From School Officials to Senators
Of course, the usual suspects couldn’t resist turning this into a Trump-bashing bonanza. School officials in Columbia Heights—where Liam is the fourth student affected in recent operations—cried foul, claiming the boy was “used as bait.” Protesters marched, Democrats spewed smears, and even the vice president had to step in to defend the agents. One senator posted a weepy rant about “four children” detained, ignoring that enforcement targets the parents, not the playground set. Another called it a “kidnapping” by “masked thugs.” Kidnapping? Please. These are the same folks who let millions pour across the border unchecked for years.
On social media, the echo chamber amplified the hysteria. Some fueled the fire, while others debunked it, pointing out the father’s abandonment. One clarification showed agents comforted Liam with fast food and his favorite tunes while sorting the mess. But facts don’t matter when you’re virtue-signaling for votes.
Another legacy media conspiracy: @washingtonpost alleges ICE used a 5-year-old kid as “bait” to arrest his father.
Not until five paragraphs into the piece do they acknowledge what really happened: the child’s father, an illegal immigrant, abandoned him when he saw ICE. pic.twitter.com/VkMnOLm4Ud
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) January 22, 2026
The Phantom Incision: Separating Fact from Fiction in Detention Horror Stories
Now, about that “not medically necessary” incision on the child’s body—the left loves to trot out tales of medical mayhem in facilities to paint agents as butchers. But in Liam’s case? Crickets. No reports of any surgery, let alone an unnecessary one. Digging deeper into similar claims, we find overblown stories from years past, like migrant women getting hysterectomies without proper documentation of medical need. Or a mother whose C-section scar ripped open in detention, delayed surgery turning a minor issue into a nightmare. These are real problems, sure, but they’re exceptions, not the rule—and often tied to previous overcrowding.
If the claim is about Liam, it’s bunk. He’s a healthy preschooler, not some surgical guinea pig. Perhaps the activists are conflating him with older cases, like the 2017 detention of a 10-year-old after her necessary gallbladder surgery. Or the 2025 deportation of a four-year-old cancer patient, a U.S. citizen no less, interrupting life-saving care. But lumping Liam in? That’s just sloppy propaganda. Facilities provide medical screenings within 12 hours and full assessments in 14 days, per standards. No unnecessary incisions here—just the left slicing and dicing the truth.
🚨 BREAKING: ICE has now watched more kids in Minneapolis than a Somali daycare. pic.twitter.com/8zufjecsBX
— ☘️𝕃𝕦𝕔𝕜𝕪 Ƒʉͫcͧкͭιͪηͣ 𝕄𝕔𝔾𝕖𝕖 (@LuckyMcGee) January 22, 2026
America First: Why This Matters and What’s Next
This whole saga boils down to one thing: enforcing laws that protect Americans. Conejo Arias was released under lax policies, only to face justice now. Minnesota’s seeing ramped-up action, and good riddance—communities are safer without fugitives gaming the system. Protests rage, families hide, but that’s the price of years of ignored borders.
Recent revelations debunked the bait myth swiftly. Even a news anchor got called out for spreading the lie, sparking defamation buzz. The truth: agents safeguarded an abandoned child, reunited him with his dad, and is sending them packing. If the left wants sympathy, they should save it for American victims of illegal immigration crimes.
In the end, this isn’t about a five-year-old—it’s about reclaiming our sovereignty. Trump promised mass deportations; now they’re happening. Deal with it.