Congressman visits detained five-year-old and his father, but what he learned is deeply troubling

A Texas congressman has shared concerns following a visit with a five-year-old boy and his father, who have been held by federal immigration authorities since last week. The situation gained national attention after details of the child’s condition emerged during the visit.

As reported by The Guardian, Joaquin Castro met with Adrian Conejo Arias and his son, Liam, at an immigration detention facility in Dilley, Texas. Castro spent about 30 minutes with the pair, saying he went to the center to demand their release, assess their well-being, and review conditions for the roughly 1,100 people detained there.

During the visit, Liam’s father told the congressman that his son had become withdrawn and was sleeping much of the time. Liam reportedly slept through the entire meeting, prompting Castro to raise concerns about the child’s mental state in a social media post that included a photo of the boy resting in his father’s arms. Castro said he later updated Liam’s mother and reiterated his call for the family’s release.

The visit raised new questions about the child’s detention

Liam was detained on January 20 alongside his father during an operation carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The two were taken into custody in the driveway of their home in a Minneapolis suburb shortly after returning from the child’s preschool and were later transferred to the Dilley immigration processing center in Texas. A photograph of Liam wearing a blue hat and carrying a Spider-Man backpack circulated widely after the incident.

The circumstances of the arrest have been disputed by multiple parties. The Department of Homeland Security described the action as a targeted operation aimed at the father, claiming he was in the country unlawfully and fled on foot, leaving his child behind. DHS said an ICE officer remained with the boy for safety and that the father requested his son stay with him.

School officials in Minnesota have contradicted that account. Zena Stenvik, superintendent of the Columbia Heights school district, said both father and son were detained together in their driveway. According to school officials, another adult in the household offered to care for Liam, but agents proceeded with detaining the child.

The family’s attorney has also challenged DHS statements, providing documentation that the father and son have an active asylum case and entered the United States through an official port of entry. The attorney said there is no standing deportation order against the family and disputed claims that they entered the country illegally.

A federal judge temporarily blocked the family’s deportation earlier this week while litigation over their detention continues.