Liam Ramos and family ordered to be removed from US after judge ends asylum claims

Asylum denied for Liam Ramos' family

Liam Ramos' family, who became the face of the immigration crackdown in Minnesota, faces deportation. Their attorney says an immigration judge has rejected their asylum claims, saying their application was insufficient. For nearly two weeks, Liam and his father were held at a family detention facility in Texas. The two were eventually returned to Minnesota on Feb. 1 after a judge ordered them to be released. 

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - An immigration judge determined that the asylum claim for Liam Ramos and his family was insufficient and ordered them to be removed from the country. 

The family's attorney, Danielle Oxendine Molliver, said they plan to appeal the decision. 

If the appeal fails, the family will be deported back to Ecuador. 

READ MORE: Liam is home: 5-year-old boy and his father back in Minnesota after release from ICE detention

Judge orders removal of Liam Ramos and family

Gov. Walz slams ICE over Liam Conejo Ramos detention

Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison raised the alarm about the impacts of ICE detention in the aftermath of the detainment of Liam Conejo Ramos.

What they're saying:

Molliver, with Nwokocha & Operana Law Offices, confirmed that they have already submitted a notice to appeal, which has an April 7 deadline. 

The government then has until April 28 to respond.  

Molliver added that such processes have taken months or even years in the past, but the government has recently started fast-tracking immigration cases like this one. 

The attorney also said rules have recently changed for Board of Immigration Appeals, and that they are more stringent and less favorable to immigrants.

Columbia Heights Public Schools released the following statement on Thursday in response to the Ramos' family's asylum claim being denied: 

"The announcement that an immigration judge has ended the asylum claims of the family of Liam Conejo Ramos is heartbreaking. We understand that this decision will be appealed and remain hopeful for a positive outcome. The detention in January of Liam and his father shed light on the harm caused by Operation Metro Surge, during which many children and families have been detained. While we respect the legal process, we cannot ignore the profound human impact—especially on children—of this federal action, which has disrupted the lives of so many of our community members who entered this country through legal means. Our thoughts are with Liam and his family, and we will continue to advocate for and support Liam and all children."

5-year-old Liam Ramos taken into ICE custody in Columbia Heights

Photo taken by bystanders of Liam Conejo Ramos at the scene of his detainment by ICE. Photo courtesy of Columbia Heights Public Schools (Supplied)

The backstory:

A photo of Liam Ramos in ICE custody went viral during Operation Metro Surge. 

Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenvik said multiple students had been detained by federal agents. 

Liam had just arrived home from preschool when he and his father were apprehended in their driveway. 

Stenvik says another adult who lives in the home with Liam "begged" agents to let them take care of the child, but was refused. 

Agents then took Liam out of the still-running vehicle and led him to the front door of his home, Stenvik said. The agents then told him to knock on the door, asking to be let in. 

Stenvik said the 5-year-old was "essentially used as bait." 

The boy's middle school-aged brother then came home to see his father and little brother missing. The boys' mother was not detained by ICE. 

Liam and his father were then brought to a Texas immigration detention facility in January.

They were then released and came back to Minnesota in February.