An immigration judge has ended the asylum claims of Liam Conejo Ramos and his family, according to their Minneapolis lawyer.
The 5-year-old boy from Columbia Heights received national attention after he was detained by U.S. immigration authorities along with his father.
Attorney Danielle Molliver, with Nwokocha & Operana Law Offices, told MPR News on Wednesday that the firm is appealing the decision handed down by U.S. Immigration Judge John Burns. Molliver said an appeal could take months or years.
Molliver said if the family loses the appeal, they are expected to be deported to Ecuador, their country of origin.
The federal government filed a motion in early February that sought to end asylum claims for the Conejo Ramos family, Molliver said. The family includes 5-year-old Liam, his 13-year-old brother and his parents Adrian Conejo Arias and Erika Ramos, who is pregnant with the couple’s third child.
Liam, pictured with a sky-blue bunny hat and a Spider-Man backpack, was detained Jan. 20 with his father and sent to a family detention center in Dilley, Texas. Liam came to represent the children caught up in Minnesota’s immigration enforcement surge.
Liam returned home Feb. 1, but his family says his mental health has suffered since his detainment.
Attorney Paschal Nwokocha told MPR News in February, “the government was bent on removing this family from the United States. We were able to get additional time to do what we need to do in court.”
Nwokocha also said the firm was "fully committed" to fight for the family and do what it can to keep them in the country.