Vice President Vance defends ICE detainment of 5-year-old in Minnesota
Vice President JD Vance on Thursday defended the detainment of a 5-year-old boy by federal agents and said the Trump administration does not believe the Insurrection Act is needed amid unrest over immigration enforcement in Minnesota.
Vance's comments come as outrage swelled over Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents taking into custody four students under the age of 18 in the Minneapolis suburb of Columbia Heights. School officials said Liam Conejo Ramos, a preschooler, and his father were detained in their driveway after school on Tuesday.
When an adult known to the family offered to take Liam, ICE agents refused and instead led the boy to his front door and ordered him to knock – "essentially using a 5-year-old as bait," according to a news release from Columbia Heights Public Schools .
Vance on Thursday said ICE was targeting the boy's father, an undocumented immigrant from Ecuador, who federal officials accuse of trying to flee from immigration agents. The man’s attorney vehemently denied federal officials' account of the arrest and said the man was in the country legally, awaiting asylum.
"Are they supposed to let a five-year-old child freeze to death?" Vance said. "If the argument is that you can’t arrest people who have violated the law because they have children, then every single parent is going to be completely given immunity from every being the subject of law enforcement."
The vice president gave those remarks after a closed-door meeting in Minneapolis with federal agents, business leaders, and others in an effort to "bring down the temperature," Vance said. More than two weeks after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good , daily protests continue to roil Minneapolis as state officials and the Trump administration square off in bitter legal fights.
Developments:
∎ The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday announced the arrests of three people accused of participating in a protest at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota , on Sunday. A federal magistrate judge declined to sign a complaint charging journalist Don Lemon in connection with the protest, CBS News and CNN reported.
∎ ICE has conducted stops and arrests in Maine as part of an immigration operation that was launched over the objections of state and local leaders. The mayors of Lewiston and Portland, who said the operation was unnecessary, reported a surge of federal agents and asked residents to remain calm.
'How can you justify incarcerating a child"
Marc Prokosch, a Twin Cities immigration attorney representing Liam’s family, slammed immigration authorities for detaining the 5-year-old and his father.
"How can you justify incarcerating a child," Prokosch told reporters on Thursday. The Minnesota attorney said the boy’s father had no criminal record according to a search of state records, and that the family was in the country legally.
The family entered the U.S. in 2024 through the border in Brownsville, Texas, said Prokosch, adding the family used an immigration authorities app to apply for asylum.
"These are not illegal aliens," the attorney said, responding to comments from Vice President Vance . "They came properly and are pursuing a legal pathway."
Prokosch said the family is currently being held at a family detention center in San Antonio. He said he has not been able to directly speak with his clients.
The attorney said he could not disclose what prompted the family to flee their home country of Ecuador. The South American nation is among the most violent in Latin America, according to Human Rights Watch .
Gov. Walz: ICE needs to turn the temperature down
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said immigration authorities in Minneapolis need to abandon their controversial tactics for calm to return to the city.
"I’m glad the Vice President agrees the temperature needs to be turned down, but actions speak louder than words," Walz said in a statement on X . "We don’t need 3,000 ice agents in our streets — more than every local police department combined. Take the show of force off the streets and partner with the state on targeted enforcement of violent offenders instead of random, aggressive confrontation."
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey criticized federal authorities for detaining the 5-year-old boy and said the child is "not a threat of our community."
"When the federal government treats kids like criminals, something has gone seriously wrong," Frey said on social media .
The governor and mayor did not respond to USA TODAY's requests for additional comment.
Teachers ask authorities to stop targeting students
Zena Stenvik, the superintendent for Columbia Heights Public Schools, said Liam was the fourth child in the school district to be detained by immigration authorities.
The first, Stenvik said, was a fourth grader who had been in the school district since kindergarten.
"All the teachers in that school were shattered," Stenvik said, "and then it happened again and again and again."
The other students immigration authorities detained were a 17-year-old girl arrested at her home and a 17-year-old boy arrested in his car on the way to school, the superintendent said.
"The kids just want to come to school, they want to be in school, we want them in school," Stenvik said. "They want to be in-person learning. They thrive. They’re happy learning."
Immigration agents have repeatedly followed school buses and made appearances in school parking lots, the superintendent said.
Minneapolis police on how it responds to ICE-related 911 calls
The Minneapolis Police Department told USA TODAY that the agency has an official dedicated to answering 911 calls related to immigration enforcement incidents and determining whether a police response is warranted.
"Calls that involve property damage and threats to life safety take priority," public information officer Sgt. Garrett Parten said. But "the presence of protestors alone is not sufficient reason for MPD to respond."
The police statement came in response to allegations that the agency ignored at least two calls for help from federal agents. According to Parten, police have no record of a call on Jan. 21 from agents asking for help recovering a gun magazine loaded with ammunition they left on a residential sidewalk in Minneapolis.
In the second incident on Jan. 19, federal agents called for help handling anti-immigration enforcement protesters.
"The agents expressed concern that the situation could become physical. MPD monitored the situation and determined that the federal agents had sufficient resources available to manage the incident," said Parten, adding police kept watch on a car the agents left behind.
Vance on Insurrection Act: 'We don’t think we need that'
Vance said the Trump administration doesn’t believe it needs to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota, right now, amid tensions over immigration enforcement.
"We don’t think that we need that," Vance said. "Now the president could change his mind, of course, things could get worse."
In a social media post earlier this month, President Donald Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota, which gives him authority to deploy U.S. troops to suppress rebellions and civil unrest or when federal laws are being obstructed.
Vice President JD Vance spoke in Minneapolis on Jan. 22, 2026, amid rising tensions over ongoing immigration raids. His visit followed public outrage over recent operations, including an incident where ICE agents detained four students — among them a 5‑year‑old boy — in Columbia Heights, a Minneapolis suburb.
Vance blames 'chaos' in Minnesota on state and local officials
Speaking in Minneapolis on Thursday, Vance acknowledged the prevalence of videos and reports raising concerns about the aggressive tactics being used by immigration agents.
Vance said some videos and reports suggest some federal agents "are not doing everything right.” He added: “But if you look at the context of what’s going on, you understand that these people are under an incredible amount of duress, an incredible amount of chaos.”
Vance placed the blame squarely on Minnesota's state and local officials.
"Do we want these things to happen? Do we want these arrests to be so chaotic? No, we don’t," Vance said. "But if we had a little cooperation from local and state officials, I think the chaos would go way down."
'Incredible job' Vance backs ICE in Minneapolis
While kicking off his remarks in Minneapolis, Vance reiterated his support for ICE.
"The guys behind me are doing an incredible job," Vance said, speaking with uniformed individuals standing behind him, including one wearing an ICE jacket.
The vice president said he came to Minneapolis to better understand the situation so he can "tone down the temperature a bit, reduce the chaos." There has been a wave of anti-ICE demonstrations since an agent shot a killed a woman in Minneapolis. Vance said he sympathizes with ICE agents who are “operating in a very, very tough environment.”
“I wanted to show some support for these guys,” Vance said.
Feds announce third arrest related to St. Paul church protest
A third person has been arrested in connection with the protest at a St. Paul church that interrupted a service on Sunday, Jan. 18.
Attorney General Pam Bondi on X named the third person as William Kelly.
Earlier in the day, Bondi announced the arrests of Nekima Levy Armstrong and Chauntyll Louisa Allen, a member of the St. Paul Public School board. Homeland Security Secretary said all three were being charged with conspiracy to deprive rights.
The arrests come after the DOJ said it was investigating the protest as a potential violation of the FACE Act, which protects access to religious worship under the First Amendment.
Protesters greet Vance in Minneapolis
Roughly a dozen protesters greeted Vance outside the Royalston Square event venue in Minneapolis, with two holding signs reading "ICE out."
Vance arrived at the Royalston and met with ICE agents before his speech. He is also held a roundtable discussion.
Minneapolis police not responding to feds' calls for help, official says
Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino said the Minneapolis Police Department has not been responding to calls from federal agents amid heated protests in the city.
“Minneapolis Police Department has been called on several situations that they have not responded to," Bovino said at a news conference on Thursday. He described an incident in which two off-duty agents were confronted by protesters at a restaurant. Bovino said the agents called police but had to be assisted by a federal tactical team after 40 minutes without a police response.
The Minneapolis Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The surge of immigration agents into Minnesota has strained the relationship between federal and local law enforcement. Local police chiefs have criticized the tactics employed by federal agents and accused agents of racially profiling off-duty police officers .
ICE faces backlash as agents enter homes without judge-signed warrants
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is facing intense scrutiny over its agents forcibly entering homes without a judge's warrant.
An internal ICE memo authorized agents to use force to enter residences with only administrative warrants, which are signed by ICE officers and do not require a judge's signature, multiple outlets reported, including the Associated Press and the Washington Post .
Marcos Charles, the executive associate director of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, confirmed that agents enter homes with only administrative warrants at a news conference on Thursday.
"We don't break into anybody's homes," Charles said. "We make entry either in a hot pursuit with a criminal arrest warrant or an administrative arrest warrant."
School official: Immigration agents detained 4 students
At least four students under the age of 18 have been detained by immigration agents over the last two weeks in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, the school district said in a statement.
Liam Ramos, 5, was detained with his father on Tuesday, Jan. 20, and taken to a detention facility in Texas, according to the district. On the same day, a 17-year-old was detained on his way to school after agents removed him from his car.
Last week, a 17-year-old student was taken into custody after “ICE agents pushed their way into an apartment,” according to Columbia Heights Public Schools.
And two weeks ago, a 10-year-old student and her mother were detained while on their way to class. “The father immediately came to the school to find that both his daughter and wife had been taken,” the district said in a statement. “By the end of the school day, they were already in a detention center in Texas, and they are still there.”
The school district said it is working with an immigration lawyer to get the students back.
“ICE agents have been roaming our neighborhoods, circling our schools, following our buses, coming into our parking lots and taking our children,” the district said. “The sense of safety in our community and around our schools is shaken and our hearts are shattered.”
Vance wants more arrests after church protest
Ahead of his visit to Minneapolis, Vance touted the investigation into an anti-ICE protest at a St. Paul church. He said he wants to see more arrests after the Department of Justice announced two of the protesters had been apprehended.
“I certainly want to see more arrests,” Vance said. “Because I’ve seen the videos and there are very clearly more people who have violated the law.”
The vice president predicted more prosecutions.
“They’re scaring little kids who are there to worship God on a Sunday morning,” Vance said. “Those people are going to be sent to prison.”
DOJ announces 2 arrests in St. Paul church protest
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said federal agents arrested two people involved in a protest that interrupted Sunday service at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Bondi identified those arrested as Nekima Levy Armstrong and Chauntyll Louisa Allen but did not describe any alleged charges. "More to come," Bondi said on X . "WE WILL PROTECT OUR HOUSES OF WORSHIP."
A group of protestors entered Cities Church on Jan. 18, alleging that Pastor David Easterwood serves as the ICE St. Paul Field Office acting director. Videos show dozens of protesters changing "Renee Good," and "don't shoot," as some verbally confronted churchgoers.
The DOJ launched an investigation into the protest as a potential violation of the FACE Act, a federal law that prohibits the use of force, threats, or physical obstruction to block people from reproductive health care or access to religious worship under the First Amendment right to religious freedom.
Vance says Good was in leftist network. Where's the evidence?
Vance says he wants to 'calm the tensions' in Minneapolis
As the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts continue to roil Minneapolis, Vance said he hopes his presence in the city Thursday will calm things down.
“Certainly one of my goals is to calm the tensions, to talk to people, to try to understand what we can do better,” Vance said during a speech in Toledo, Ohio, before flying to Minnesota.
At the same time, Vance blasted local officials for not cooperating with federal immigration authorities and blamed the lack of cooperation for “chaos” in the city. The vice president said he also wants to send a message to law enforcement “that we stand with them and we’re not going to abandon them.”
“We’re not going to do what the last administration did,” Vance continued. “Which is throw them under the bus to appease a bunch of left-wing radicals.”
People confront an agent in an ICE vehicle near the regional ICE headquarters at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building on January 10, 2026 in Minneapolis. Protests in the city continued Saturday after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, who was shot and killed on January 7 by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis.
Appeals court freezes order limiting force against protesters in Minnesota
A federal appeals court on Jan. 21 paused a lower court's order that had ordered federal immigration agents in Minnesota not to use "intimidation tactics" against peaceful protesters.
The move by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a win to the Trump administration, which had vowed to appeal the lower court's order that set up guardrails around the behavior of federal agents.
In the lower-court order, U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez said agents appeared to have engaged in "chilling conduct" and "intimidation tactics." She noted actions such as the "drawing and pointing of weapons," the "use of pepper spray and other non-lethal munitions," and "actual and threatened arrest and detainment of protesters and observers."
'ICE Out of Minneapolis' protest planned for Friday
Organizers in Minneapolis asked people to call out of work, skip school, and refrain from buying anything as part of a protest against the ongoing immigration operations.
"Faith leaders, business owners, workers, and concerned Minnesotans have called for a statewide day of public mourning and pause through 'No Work, No School and No Shopping' and a massive, peaceful march in downtown Minneapolis that afternoon," said a news release about the demonstration scheduled for Friday, Jan. 23.
Over the last two weeks, students at schools across Minnesota have held walkouts in protest of the immigration operation and Good's killing.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Immigration updates: Vance defends ICE detainment of 5-year-old
