1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

I am writing to demand the immediate release of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos from ICE custody at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas. This child, a student at Columbia Heights Public Schools in Minnesota, has been detained since early January 2025 and is now seriously ill. According to Liam's school superintendent Zena Stenvik, who spoke with his mother Erika Ramos on January 27, 2025, Liam has developed a fever, stomach pain, vomiting, and loss of appetite due to poor quality food at the detention center. When Democratic Representative Joaquin Castro visited Liam on January 28, 2025, the boy's father reported that Liam has been sleeping excessively because he is depressed and sad. This is not the behavior of a healthy kindergartener. The conditions at Dilley are documented as dangerous for children. Leecia Welch, chief legal counsel at Children's Rights, reported that nearly everyone she spoke with during a recent facility visit was sick, including a 16-year-old who had been ill seven times. Families reported finding worms and mold in their food during a November visit. Children are exhibiting signs of severe trauma including depression and panic attacks. Liam is one of four students from Columbia Heights Public Schools who have been detained by ICE. His classmates, teachers, and community are desperately worried about him. The family's attorney Marc Prokosch states that Liam's father Adrian Conejo Arias entered the country lawfully at a border crossing in Brownsville, Texas in December 2024, contradicting DHS claims. No child should be detained under these conditions. I urge you to use your authority to secure Liam's immediate release and reunification with his mother so he can return to his school and community in Minnesota. This situation demands urgent action before his health deteriorates further.