White House, DHS push back on claims ICE targeted 5-year-old in Minnesota, say child was 'abandoned'

The Department of Homeland Security said a child, whom Minnesota Democrats alleged had been targeted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was actually "abandoned" during an immigration enforcement operation. 

After Democrats, including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., shared an image of a 5-year-old boy online and claimed he was arrested by ICE while coming home from pre-school, the White House fired back in a statement to Fox News Digital. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson condemned what the Trump administration views as the mainstream media working "hand-in-glove with Democrats to spread malicious lies about ICE operations." 

"It's shameful that the media so quickly runs with the fake Democrat narrative without first getting the facts," Jackson said. "Here's the reality: ICE officers work heroically with the utmost professionalism to make American communities safer. In this instance, they stayed with a child who was abandoned by his father - an illegal alien from Ecuador."

"The media's lies have consequences - assaults against ICE officers have increased by 1300% because of dangerous smears against them by elected Democrats that are amplified by the press," she added. "The Trump Administration is not only removing dangerous criminal illegal aliens from the country, but we are also locating the countless migrant children that Joe Biden lost. Thanks to the Administration's efforts well over 120,000 children have been located."

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The comments come as a photo is circulating online purportedly showing a young boy wearing a bunny-shaped winter hat standing next to a black vehicle, with an adult's hand placed on his backpack. 

Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenvik said the boy had been taken by federal agents from a running car while it had been in the family's driveway Tuesday afternoon. 

The child, who at the time was arriving home from preschool, was later sent with his father to a detention facility in Texas, The Associated Press reported, citing school officials and the family's lawyer. 

"ICE did NOT target a child. The child was ABANDONED," Homeland Security wrote on X on Thursday. "On January 20, ICE conducted a targeted operation to arrest Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, an illegal alien from Ecuador who was RELEASED into the U.S. by the Biden administration."

"As agents approached the driver Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias fled on foot - abandoning his child. For the child's safety, one of our ICE officers remained with the child while the other officers apprehended Conejo Arias," it added. 

"Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children, or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates. This is consistent with past administration's immigration enforcement," DHS also said.

In another post, DHS wrote: "Our officer's made multiple attempts to get the mother inside the house to take custody of her child. Officers even assured her that they would NOT take her into custody. She refused to accept custody of the child. The father told officers he wanted the child to remain with him. Our officers primary concern during the entire operation was the safety and welfare of the child. Following the mother's abandonment of the child, officers abided by the father's wishes to keep the child with him. Father and son are together at Dilley [Immigration Processing Center]."

Stenvik had said the family has an active asylum case and has not been ordered to leave the country. The school official alleged officers told the child to knock on the door to his home to see if other people were inside.

"Why detain a 5-year-old?" Stenvik was quoted as saying, according to the AP. "You cannot tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal." 

The boy and his father were being held in a family holding cell in Texas, Marc Prokosch, the family's lawyer, said during a news conference Wednesday, according to the AP.

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The incident is being condemned by Minnesota Democrats. 

"Minnesotans want safety. They want freedom. They want what's best for our kids. Masked agents snatching preschoolers off the street and sending them to Texas detention centers serves none of those purposes," Walz wrote on X on Thursday. "This campaign of retribution has got to stop." 

"ICE just detained a 5-year-old child. Don't tell us this is about 'the worst of the worst.' That's a lie. Absolutely vile," Omar said the day before. 

Hillary Clinton also wrote on X Thursday: "Enforcing the law is one thing. Terrorizing a population, using children as pawns, is another."

In response, ICE's X account pushed back, saying to Clinton, "THIS IS AN ABJECT LIE."

"The child was ABANDONED by his father, a criminal illegal alien from Ecuador, who fled from our officers. Our officers ensured the child was SAFE. Does your heart also ache for the thousands of families who have lost loved ones to violent, criminal illegal alien MURDERERS? You haven't tweeted about those Angel Families once," it added.

The boy is the fourth student from Columbia Heights Public Schools who has been detained by ICE in recent weeks, according to Stenvik.

Columbia Heights Public Schools told Fox News Digital that it is holding a press conference "Regarding Immigration Enforcement Actions Involving Students" at 5 p.m. ET on Thursday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.