A U.S. federal judge orders the release of a five year old boy and his father were detained in a facility in Texas after their detention during an immigration raid in Minnesota, sparking outcry.

In a ruling on Saturday, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery ruled that the detention of Liam Conejo Ramos was unlawful while condemning “some of us” for their “treacherous lust for unfettered power” and “infliction of cruelty.”

The boy, wearing a blue bunny hat and a Spider-Man backpack, made the scathing comments after being pictured pretending to be an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer. took him away Located in suburban Minneapolis – has become a symbol of the immigration crackdown launched by President Donald Trump’s administration.

“This case is rooted in the government’s ill-conceived and poorly implemented implementation of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if this required traumatic consequences for children,” Beary wrote in his ruling.

“Ultimately, due to the arcane U.S. immigration system, petitioners may be returned to their home countries involuntarily or through self-deportation. But this outcome should be achieved through policies that are more orderly and humane than currently available.”

The judge did not specify the deportation quota he was referring to, but White House Policy Director Stephen Miller has previously said the goal is to apprehend 3,000 immigrants per day.

The ongoing crackdown in Minnesota is the largest federal immigration enforcement operation ever, with about 3,000 agents deployed, according to federal officials. The surge has triggered daily clashes between activists and immigration officials, led to killing Federal agents investigated two U.S. citizens.

Fatal action triggers nationwide protests and quality mobilize efforts and Demonstration in Minnesota.

Liam is one of at least four students detained by immigration officials in the suburb this month, according to the Columbia Heights Public School District in Minneapolis.

Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenvik said ICE agents removed the child from a car driving in the family’s driveway on Jan. 20 and had him knock on the door, a tactic she said amounted to using him as “bait” for other family members.

The government has denied this, with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin claiming that an ICE officer remained with Liam “for the safety of the child” while other officers arrested his father.

Vice President J.D. Vance, who vigorously defended ICE’s tactics in Minnesota, told a news conference that while such arrests are “traumatic” for children, “just because you’re a parent doesn’t mean you’re completely immune from law enforcement.”

The Trump administration says Cornejo Arias arrived in the U.S. illegally from Ecuador in December 2024, but attorneys for his family say they have valid asylum claims that allow them to stay in the country legally.

The boy and his father were detained and sent to a facility in Dilley, Texas, where advocacy groups and politicians reported harsh conditions, including disease, malnutrition and a rapid increase in the number of children in custody.

Texas representatives Joaquin Castro and Jasmine Crockett visited the site earlier this week. Castro said Liam slept throughout the 30-minute visit and his father reported he was “feeling depressed and sad.”

Beery’s ruling Saturday included a photo of the boy, along with several Bible quotes: “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not hold them back, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven,'” and “Jesus wept.”

The incident showed “the government’s ignorance of a historic American document called the Declaration of Independence,” Beery wrote. Beery compared the Trump administration’s misdeeds against King George of England to that of then-author and future President Thomas Jefferson, including sending “large numbers of officers to harass our people” and creating “domestic insurrections.”

The Departments of Justice and Homeland Security had no immediate comment.

The law firm of Jennifer Scarborough, which represents Liam and his father, Adrian Cornejo Arias, said in a statement that the two will be reunited with their families soon.

“We are pleased that the family is now able to focus on being reunited and finding some peace after this traumatic ordeal,” the statement said.

Minnesota officials have been calling on the Trump administration to end the state’s immigration crackdown. But on Saturday a federal judge Deny request Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and other officials requested a preliminary injunction halting the federal action.

Meanwhile, Trump has Order Homeland Security Do not participate in protests in Democratic-led cities “under any circumstances” unless they seek federal help or federal property is threatened.