Minnesota Leaders Ask Feds How Many Kids Have Been Taken By ICE

ST. PAUL, MN — Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison are demanding answers from federal officials about how many children have been detained during recent immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota, saying fear tied to federal activity near schools is disrupting classrooms, traumatizing children, and driving families into hiding.

During a news conference Tuesday, Walz and Ellison joined education, health, and public safety leaders to describe what they say is a growing impact on children as immigration enforcement activity increases near schools and child care centers.

"What we are seeing is not public safety, it’s chaos," Walz said. "When parents are afraid to send their kids to school, when classrooms sit half empty, and when children are taken to detention facilities on their way to learn, we’ve crossed a line. Minnesotans need to know how many children are in detention facilities, who they are, and where they’re being held."

Walz said he has sent a formal letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanding details about the number of children currently held in federal detention facilities, along with their identities and locations.

At the federal level, Trump administration officials have said immigration enforcement efforts will continue despite criticism.

"Nothing will stop us from continuing to make arrests and enforce the law," U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Jan. 28, defending ongoing federal immigration operations.

Ellison accused the Trump administration of using immigration enforcement tactics that intentionally harm children.

"Kidnapping young children is a feature, not a bug, of Trump’s campaign of revenge and retribution against Minnesota," Ellison said. "It is immoral, but it shouldn’t be a surprise, since he already tried cutting all legal funding for food assistance and child care for Minnesota’s children."

Ellison said Minnesota has previously defeated the federal government in court over funding cuts and is now seeing what he described as an escalation.

"We beat him in court on both those efforts to punish our kids; now federal agents are detaining them and using them as hostages," Ellison said. "A courageous federal judge ordering Liam and his father freed is welcome news. Now we need to get all of our children the federal government is holding hostage back home to Minnesota."

The case Ellison referenced involved 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, a preschool student in the Columbia Heights Public Schools whose detention by immigration agents in January drew national attention.

This week, a federal judge ordered Liam and his father released after sharply criticizing the government’s actions and warning that the child had been traumatized.

Columbia Heights Superintendent Zena Stenvik said that at one elementary school alone, at least 23 parents have been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“At Liam’s school alone, at least 23 parents have been detained,” Stenvik told MPR News. She said children are asking teachers whether they will return home to find their parents gone and that staff members have been stopped repeatedly on their way to work.

"It is really taking a toll on our educators," Stenvik said. "It’s a level of intensity, anxiety and fear that no teacher should have to support on a daily basis."

Earlier this week, Columbia Heights Public Schools closed all schools for a day following what officials described as a “credible threat,” canceling classes out of an abundance of caution while law enforcement investigated. District leaders have said the combination of enforcement activity, threats, and fear has placed extraordinary strain on students, families, and staff.

State officials said that since Dec. 1, 2025, more than 600 individuals have filed cases in federal district court in Minnesota challenging their detention.

Minnesota’s federal judges, including those appointed by President Donald Trump, have repeatedly ruled that current detention practices are not complying with the law, officials said.

Mental health organizations say the enforcement climate is also triggering broader crises beyond schools. NAMI Minnesota said ongoing ICE activity is driving worsening symptoms, decompensation, and suicidal ideation among people living with serious and persistent mental illnesses.

“Our communities are navigating intense fear, and for people with serious and persistent mental illnesses, that fear can quickly become overwhelming,” said Marcus Schmit, executive director of NAMI Minnesota. “We are seeing people who were previously stable experience rapid deterioration in their mental health.”