Clinton-Appointed Judge Orders Illegal Released, Claims ICE ‘Traumatized’ His Son
A federal judge appointed by former President Bill Clinton has ordered the release of an illegal immigrant and his young son, blasting federal immigration authorities and blaming President Donald Trump’s administration for emotional harm caused to the child.
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery issued the Saturday ruling in the case of Adrian Conejo Arias and his five-year-old son, Liam Conejo Ramos. The pair had been held at a detention facility in San Antonio after being apprehended in Minneapolis by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to the Department of Homeland Security, Arias fled from agents during a stop, leaving his son behind in the vehicle.
Judge Biery, however, suggested that ICE had apprehended the two as part of what he called a “quota-driven” immigration enforcement agenda, accusing the administration of traumatizing the child. “The case has its genesis in the ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children,” Biery wrote.
The judge went so far as to compare ICE’s actions to those of the British monarchy in the pre-Revolutionary era, implying that modern immigration enforcement violates the spirit of the Declaration of Independence. He added a photograph of the boy wearing a Spider-Man backpack and a blue knitted bunny hat to the ruling, along with a quote from the New Testament: “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’”
Biery’s decision to release the father and son came after high-profile visits from Texas Democrats, including Rep. Joaquin Castro and Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who is running for U.S. Senate. Castro personally transported the pair back to Minnesota following the judge’s ruling.
The case has become a flashpoint in the broader debate over immigration enforcement under President Trump. Liberal media and activists seized on images of Liam with ICE agents to claim the child had been “stolen from preschool.” But DHS officials countered that narrative, clarifying that Arias had fled and left his son behind during the encounter, prompting ICE to temporarily take the child into protective custody and even treat him to McDonald’s while agents pursued the father.
Despite previous efforts by the Biden-era courts to limit ICE’s ability to detain certain individuals, this case marks a fresh showdown between federal law enforcement and activist-friendly judges. Protesters had surrounded the San Antonio detention facility in recent days, demanding the release of Liam, while Biery had already issued an earlier order blocking the pair’s deportation.
Judge Biery’s decision is likely to face scrutiny from Trump administration officials, who have increasingly clashed with left-wing judges over the enforcement of federal immigration law. The Department of Justice has not yet confirmed whether it will appeal the ruling.