Archive · 23 Jan 2026
ICE detains children in Minnesota school district
Some immigration officers in the U.S. took away at least four kids, including a 5-year-old, from a school in Minnesota.
The school's boss, Zena Stenvik, is upset and asked why they would take a little kid.
The immigration officers said they weren't targeting the kids, but the dad who was driving them.
He ran away, so they had to take care of the kids while they caught him.
This happened because the president wants to remove people who are in the country without permission, and some people are worried about how they're doing it.
About 3,000 officers were sent to Minnesota for this operation, and the president says it's to remove violent criminals from the country.
U.S. immigration authorities detained at least four children, including a 5-year-old, from a Minneapolis-area school district this month.
School district superintendent Zena Stenvik questioned the detention of a 5-year-old, stating the child is not a violent criminal.
ICE conducted a targeted operation to arrest Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, who was in the country illegally.
ICE denied targeting the child, stating the child was left behind when Conejo Arias fled and was cared for by an officer.
The incident occurred amid concerns over the scope and tactics of federal law enforcement officers as part of President Trump's immigration crackdown.
- Who
- U.S. immigration authorities (ICE) and school district officials
- What
- Detention of at least four children, including a 5-year-old, during an immigration operation
- When
- This month
- Where
- Minneapolis-area school district
- Why
- Part of a broader immigration crackdown; target was in the country illegally
School District and Critics
ICE
Targeting of Children
School District and Critics
The detention of a 5-year-old and other children is inappropriate and raises concerns about the tactics used in immigration operations.
ICE
The children were not targeted; the operation was focused on the adult who was in the country illegally, and the child was left behind when the adult fled.
- Number of children detained
- At least four, including a 5-year-old
- Location
- Minneapolis-area school district
- Date of incident
- This month
- Target of operation
- Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias
- Reason for detention
- In the country illegally
- Number of officers deployed
- About 3,000
- President's description of crackdown
- A battle to get violent criminals out of the US
Sources
ICE detains four children from Minnesota school district, school officials say
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