Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell used a disputed story about a five-year-old child who federal agents detained to push acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons to resign during a Tuesday hearing.
Liam Conejo Ramos, an Ecuadorian, became a symbol of left-wing opposition to ICE in January after his detention in Minnesota during an incident targeting his father. During a House Homeland Security hearing, Swalwell displayed a picture of Ramos and told Lyons he had to choose between protecting children or standing by murderers.
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“It’s a decision to stay on at this point. And considering your honorable service in the past, and the dishonorable acts that those who have worked for you have conducted, and the disgraceful statements that the leadership above you have said, you now have a decision: will you stand with the kids who you’re supposed to protect, or will you side with the killers bringing terror to our streets?” Swalwell asked. “Mr. Lyons, will you resign from ICE?”
Lyons replied that he would not. Swalwell asked him why he wouldn’t.
“Because, sir, that child that you’re showing right there, the men and women of ICE took care of him when his father abandoned him and ran from law enforcement,” Lyons said.
“He never should have gone into custody,” Swalwell replied.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has asserted the boy’s father, Adrian Conejo Arias, was the target of an illegal immigrant arrest operation. Ramos was caught up in his father’s arrest after his mother declined to take him, prompting the father to request his child stay with him in detention, according to the agency.
Both Democratic politicians and media figures have widely referenced Ramos’ case to underscore their opposition to President Donald Trump’s administration’s immigration policies.
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