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Parents of five-year-olds Liam Cornejo RamosHe told CBS News that their son “seems to be a different boy” since being detained by ICE, which sparked national outrage.
The image of a child wearing a blue bunny hat became emblematic of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, which have not only weeded out the “worst” criminals but also immigrants trying to enter the United States legally.
Liam and his father, Adrian Cornejo Ramoswas detained in Minnesota in January and transferred to a family detention center in Texas. They were released after two weeks, but the government threatened to detain them again.
“Family members from Ecuador said they would enter the country legally at ports of entry in 2023 under the Biden administration’s plan,” the reporter said. Camilo Montoya Galvez.
“ICE is telling us that you tried to run away, run away, evade arrest, and in the process you abandoned Liam,” Montoya-Galvez told Liam’s father. “Is it accurate?”
“No, what people are saying is not true,” said Cornejo Ramos, while Liam’s mother Erica Ramossaid she believed ICE was using their son as “bait.”
“The hardest part is that there’s nothing I can do,” Erica Ramos said of her family’s detention.
“I think it’s unfair that they did this to us, when in reality we were doing everything right,” Cornejo Ramos said.
Liam’s parents told Montoya-Galveson that their son remains “traumatized” by his time in ICE custody and regularly sees a psychologist.
“As parents we are very concerned that he is no longer the same as he used to be and we fear this will continue for a long time,” Liam’s father said. “We do worry that this isn’t going to heal anytime soon.”
Liam’s mother said Liam had been showing signs of psychological trauma “including hypervigilance and isolation”.
“My son is very different,” she said.
Montoya-Galvez asked Liam what he was most afraid of.
“La Inmigración,” Liam replied.
“Immigration, ICE,” Montoya-Galvez repeated in English.
The family was recently denied asylum by a federal immigration judge and is appealing the ruling.
5-year-old boy detained by ICE tells CBS he’s still afraid of ‘immigrants’ – parents say he’s ‘very different’ now
