How a 5-year-old boy got caught up in the ICE crackdown

Summary

Podcast Summary

Podcast: Apple News Today
Host: Shemita Basu
Episode: How a 5-year-old boy got caught up in the ICE crackdown
Date: January 23, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode confronts the controversial detention of a 5-year-old, Liam Conejo Ramos, amid an intensified ICE crackdown in Minneapolis. Host Shemita Basu guides listeners through the incident, its legal and emotional consequences, and the wider impact on local communities. The episode also pivots to the dramatic drop in U.S. crime rates and spotlights the new Oscars record set by the film "Sinners." Other notable news stories round out the episode.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. ICE Detains a 5-Year-Old in Minneapolis

• Incident Summary:

  • ICE detained several children, including 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, during an arrest operation targeting his father (00:23).
  • Viral image: Liam wearing a blue winter hat and Spiderman backpack as he’s escorted by ICE agents (00:23).
  • Witness account by Mary Granlund, board chair of Columbia Heights Public Schools, underscores the trauma and chaos witnessed during the incident (01:32).

• Disputed Accounts:

  • Mary Granlund, Local Official:
    • Describes the chaotic scene, suggesting there were adults, including herself, ready to safely take the child (01:32).
    • “What are you doing? Don't take the child. There was ample opportunity to be able to safely hand that child off to adults. And mom was there, she saw out the window and dad was yelling, please do not open the door, don't open the door.” (01:32)
  • DHS Spokesperson (paraphrased by Basu):
    • Claims father fled, left Liam in the vehicle; mother refused to take the child; father wanted Liam to stay with him (01:49).

• Legal Context:

  • The family, originally from Ecuador, claims to be following asylum protocol after presenting themselves at the border, posing no flight risk — emphasized by their lawyer Mark Procush (02:33).
    • Quote: “They did everything right when they came in. They've shared all of their information... just trying to secure safety and persecution for their family from their home country.” – Mark Procush (02:33)

• Wider Impact:

  • DHS says Liam and his father are detained together in Texas, but AP reports cite children at the facility suffering from malnourishment and extended detention times (02:46).

• Political Response:

  • Vice President J.D. Vance defends ICE, arguing law enforcement cannot offer immunity due to parenthood (03:25).
    • Quote: “Are they not supposed to arrest an illegal alien in the United States of America?... That doesn't make any sense. No one thinks that makes any sense.” – J.D. Vance (03:25)

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2. Community and School Impact

• Disruption and Trauma:

  • Elizabeth Shockman (NPR News) reports high absentee rates (20-40%) in schools, citing students’ and families’ fear of enforcement actions (03:58).
    • Quote: “In some cases, these are citizens who are afraid to attend school. So it is having a pretty profound effect... Families are afraid to leave their homes, go shopping, or go to work.” – Elizabeth Shockman (03:58)

• Community Response:

  • Parents set up patrols at schools and daycares, organize food and supply donations for affected families (04:37).
    • Quote: “When I walked into this Columbia Heights elementary school yesterday, the entrance was filled with food and diapers... a pretty big response of people wanting to protect each other.” – Elizabeth Shockman (04:37)

• Local Protest:

  • A general strike is called across Minnesota in protest of federal immigration enforcement, gaining union and faith leader support (05:07).

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3. Significant Drop in U.S. Crime Rates

• Current Trends:

  • Violent crime rates have declined nationwide, in both Democratic and Republican-led cities; 2025 will be remembered as one of the safest years for major U.S. cities (05:42).

• Potential Causes:

  • Henry Grabar (The Atlantic) attributes the change to post-pandemic federal funding via the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which allowed cities to invest in public safety, infrastructure, and social programs (07:03).

    • Quote: “There was an enormous amount of federal funding... invest not just in public safety programs, but also in community infrastructure and housing... a sizable effect on community well-being.” – Henry Grabar (07:03)

  • Notably, police departments remain understaffed, suggesting that the drop in crime rates is not just due to better policing (07:49).

• Examples:

  • Baltimore’s mayor credits ARPA-funded “violence interrupter” programs and increased spending on housing as key drivers of lower homicides (08:11).
    • Quote: “The police alone cannot be responsible for the crime rate in this city.” – Henry Grabar, relaying Baltimore mayor’s view (08:11)

• Future Concerns:

  • With ARPA funds expiring and new federal budget cuts, there’s uncertainty if current crime rates can be maintained (08:46).
    • Quote: “What’s not coming back is this Biden level of stimulus funding... we might expect [crime] to reverse as this funding dries up.” – Henry Grabar (08:46)

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4. Oscars Record and Film Trends

• “Sinners” Sets Nomination Record:

  • The horror-southern gothic film "Sinners" received 16 Oscar nominations, a new record (09:28).
  • Notable nominees include Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo, Wunmi Mosako, and costume designer Ruth E. Carter (09:44, 10:29).

• Diversity and Significance:

  • First time for many Black artists and women of color to receive nominations in key categories (10:29).

    • Quote: “This is a horror movie, a period piece. It produced the most Black artists from a single film nominated for an Oscar: 10 across all categories.” – Clayton Davis (10:09)
    • Autumn Derald Arkhipa: first woman of color nominee for Cinematography.

  • Recognition for original filmmaking in an IP-driven industry, per Clayton Davis (11:00).

• Oscar Race Outlook:

  • While “Sinners” leads in nominations, previous films with high nominations haven’t always swept wins (11:29).
  • Roles highlighted: Wagner Mora in “The Secret Agent” (international disadvantage noted), Jessie Buckley in “Hamnet” (considered a “lock” for Best Actress; 12:18).
    • Quote: “Jessie Buckley in Hamnet. When I watched her, it was one of those moments that I said, this is an old timer.” – Clayton Davis (12:18)

• Warner Brothers at a Crossroads:

  • Warner Brothers, distributor of the top two Oscar-nominated films, faces an ownership struggle between Netflix and Paramount (12:52, 13:14).

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5. Quick News Hits

• Jack Smith Testimony:

  • The former special prosecutor defends his decisions to prosecute Trump in Congress (13:51).
    • Quote: “President Trump was charged because the evidence established that he willfully broke the law.” – J.D. Vance quoting Jack Smith (13:51)

• TikTok in the U.S.:

  • TikTok’s legal saga ends as it forms a U.S.-based joint venture with oversight by Oracle; ByteDance retains partial ownership (14:15).

• Upcoming Content:

  • Teaser for an interview with Elizabeth Kolbert about new efforts to use AI to communicate with sperm whales (15:21).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Mary Granlund on the ICE Detention:

  • “And as I got out of my car and came around the corner, I heard, what are you doing? Don't take the child. And there was ample opportunity to be able to safely hand that child off to adults.” (01:32)

• J.D. Vance, on ICE Enforcement:

  • “Are they not supposed to arrest an illegal alien in the United States of America? ...That doesn't make any sense. No one thinks that makes any sense.” (03:25)

• Elizabeth Shockman, on Community Response:

  • “Parents setting up patrols for their daycares, for their schools, at arrivals and dismissals, people delivering food... entrance was filled with food and diapers from people who are trying to make sure that their neighbors get fed.” (04:37)

• Henry Grabar, on Crime Decline:

  • “There was an enormous amount of federal funding sent to cities and towns over the post pandemic period... I think that has probably had a sizable effect on community well being.” (07:03)

• Clayton Davis, on Oscars Diversity:

  • “It produced the most black artists from a single film nominated for an Oscar — 10 across all categories.” (10:09)

• Clayton Davis, on Best Actress Favorite:

  • “Jessie Buckley in Hamnet. When I watched her, it was one of those moments that I said, this is an old timer.” (12:18)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• ICE detains 5-year-old, community response: 00:05 – 05:07
• Crime decline in U.S. cities, policy analysis: 05:42 – 08:46
• Oscars record for “Sinners”, diversity milestone: 09:28 – 12:52
• Other news highlights (Jack Smith, TikTok, whale AI): 13:14 – 15:40

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Conclusion

This episode expertly weaves together a controversial immigration enforcement incident, the community’s response, high-level policy analysis on historically low crime rates, and a celebration of diversity and achievement in the arts. The speakers' voices convey urgency, empathy, and a broad perspective on the state of American society in early 2026.

Transcript

[Shemita Basu]

Good morning. ICE draws condemnation for detaining a preschooler in Minneapolis. Local officials and the federal government are at odds again. The onslaught of ICE activity in our community is inducing trauma and is taking a toll on our children.

[J.D. Vance]

What are they supposed to do? Are they supposed to let a five year old child freeze to death?

[Shemita Basu]

Crime is down across cities big and small. Red and blue. The Atlantic tries to untangle why and the gothic sight southern vampire flick Sinners sets a new Oscars record. It's Friday, January 23rd. I'm Shemita Basu. This is Apple News Today. As the immigration enforcement surge continues in Minneapolis. There's been fresh outrage over the detention of Several children, including one 5 year old boy on Tuesday. You might have seen by now the image of Liam Conejo Ramos wearing a winter blue hat and a Spider man backpack as agents escort him to a vehicle. He appears to have been taken as part of an arrest of his father. But federal and local officials differ in their accounts of what exactly happened. Speaking alongside their lawyers, the board chair for Columbia Heights Public Schools, Mary Grandland, said that she saw the whole incident unfold in the family's driveway as she was on her way to pick up her own kids from school.

[Mary Granlund]

And as I got out of my car and came around the corner, I heard, what are you doing? Don't take the child. And there was ample opportunity to be able to safely hand that child off to adults. And mom was there, she saw out the window and dad was yelling, please do not open the door, don't open the door.

[Shemita Basu]

She said she heard another adult who lived in the same household plead with agents to let them take Liam. And Granlund even offered to take him herself as representative of the school. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security says the agents had sought to arrest the child's father, who fled and left Liam in the vehicle. Later, the spokesperson said the mother apparently refused to take Liam and the father told agents he wanted Liam to stay with him. Liam and his family are originally from Ecuador. The family's lawyer, Mark Procush, said that just over a year ago they presented themselves at the Texas border to apply for asylum. He said they were following all the right protocols and posed no flight risk.

[Henry Grabar]

They did everything right when they came in. They've shared all of their information with the government and they were following the process. They were just trying to secure safety and persecution for their family from their home country.

[Shemita Basu]

DHS claims that Liam and his father are now together in a Texas facility. According to the Associated Press, families of children held at that same facility say they're malnourished, ill, and suffering from prolonged detention. In. In court filings from December, ICE attested that about 400 children were held in federal detention beyond the court mandated limit of 20 days. Yesterday, Vice President J.D. vance was in Minneapolis. He was there, as he put it, to, quote, bring down the temperature. And while he acknowledged that along the way they were, quote, going to make mistakes on this arrest, he steadfastly defended the officials.

[J.D. Vance]

Are they not supposed to arrest an illegal alien in the United States of America? If the argument is that you can't arrest people who have violated our laws because they have children, then every single parent is going to be completely given immunity from ever being the subject of law enforcement. That doesn't make any sense. No one thinks that makes any sense.

[Shemita Basu]

Liam is one of several children detained in recent days. Elizabeth Shockman is an education reporter at the local public radio station NPR News and has been exploring the impact of the immigration surge on schools.

[Elizabeth Shockman]

For those districts that are affected, they are seeing absences, anywhere between 20 to 40% of their student population who is not coming to school. In some cases, these are citizens who are afraid to attend school. So it is having a pretty profound effect on kind of the daily school activities and daily activities of people here. We've also done reporting on families who are just afraid to leave their homes, afraid to go grocery shopping, afraid to go to work, and in some cases are relying on neighbors to help them with these sorts of things.

[Shemita Basu]

Shockman has also seen the community come together in some ways to ensure that students are protected.

[Elizabeth Shockman]

Parents setting up patrols for their daycares, for their schools, at arrivals and dismissals, people delivering food. When I walked into this Columbia Heights elementary school yesterday, the entrance was filled with food and diapers from people who are trying to make sure that their neighbors get fed. So in addition to a lot of the fear and concern that we're seeing and a lot of the really scary things that we're seeing affect kids, we're also seeing a pretty big response of people wanting to protect each other.

[Shemita Basu]

Today in Minnesota, organizers against ICE Actions have declared a general strike. Supported by some unions, progressive faith leaders, Democratic lawmakers and activists, they're encouraging all Minnesotans to stay home from work, from school, from everything, to protest the continued presence of federal agents. Mayors in some of the country's biggest cities have been sounding pretty similar lately on one issue.

[Henry Grabar]

At least 2025 will go down as one of the safest years in our city's history. For the first time in five years, San Franciscans believe we're moving in the right direction.

[J.D. Vance]

Year after year we've made progress in our war on violent crime. Dallas is not only safer, it's stronger. We needed more police and we needed.

[Clayton Davis]

More community violence intervention.

[J.D. Vance]

So in the city of Detroit, we did both.

[Shemita Basu]

Crime appears to be falling fast in the US in some places dramatically so FBI data for 2024 suggests lows for violent crime not seen since 1960.

[Henry Grabar]

There's a new report from the Council on Criminal justice that reports the U.S. homicide rate was lower in 2025 in 35 cities than it has been in more than a century.

[Shemita Basu]

Henry Grabar is a staff writer with the Atlantic. He points out these declines have been happening in both Democratic led and Republican led cities. As he notes, changes at this scale are notoriously difficult to unpack. It's hard to separate structural factors like lower unemployment or state led initiatives. But Grabbar thinks the suggests one major factor that's touched all the cities experiencing drops, former President Biden's nearly $2 trillion American Rescue Plan Act.

[Henry Grabar]

I think the most likely explanation for why this is happening now is that there was an enormous amount of federal funding sent to cities and towns over the post pandemic period, which they were able to invest not just in public safety programs, but also in community infrastructure and housing and stuff like that. And I think that has probably had a sizable effect on community well being.

[Shemita Basu]

The funding has, Grabbar believes, strengthened local government capacity, improved targeting of high risk individuals, and grown the network of community nonprofits. Mayors will usually cite the programs launched by their particular police commissioner too. And more effective policing could certainly be a part of it. But what's interesting about this period is that it comes as police departments in the US have been shaken by retirements and resignations.

[Henry Grabar]

The fact is when we see declines that are this widespread across this many cities, and we know that the police are understaffed in many places and nationally, it cannot just be the result of this or that amazing work by a single police force.

[Shemita Basu]

Grabbar spoke to the mayor of Baltimore about how the city's homicide rate almost hit a 50 year low despite having an understaffed police department.

[Henry Grabar]

The mayor told me that it's in part because they have this ARPA funded violence Interrupter program which reaches out to people who they think are likely to commit crimes and sort of interact and tries to get them access to public services. The city has also spent a lot of money on housing, on infrastructure, on public services, and that those things are likely also responsible for keeping people safe. The mayor told me the police alone cannot be responsible for the crime rate in this city.

[Shemita Basu]

Remaining American Rescue Plan act grants will be spent this year and city officials will have to determine which programs continue to receive funding.

[Henry Grabar]

What's not coming back is this Biden level of stimulus funding that went into shoring up all these public services, violence interrupter programs, and so on. The Trump administration has already cut funding for some of these public safety grants, and this is the last year that that ARPA money can be spent on initiatives like blight reduction, summer jobs for teenagers, and so on. So if that is in fact what has been driving this crime decline down, then we might expect that to reverse as this funding dries up and cities have to make difficult choices about what they want to spend. Money.

[Shemita Basu]

Yesterday's Oscars nominations came with a new record thanks to the vampire film Sinners. It took the most nominations for a film ever with 16. I'll trade you.

[Mary Granlund]

I don't want your money.

[Shemita Basu]

Don't be stupid now.

[Mary Granlund]

I ain't stupid. Your money come with blood.

[Shemita Basu]

All money come with blood baby.

[Mary Granlund]

Not like yours.

[Shemita Basu]

Michael B. Jordan nominated for best Actor along with co stars Delroy Lindo who's nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Wunmi Mosako for Best Supporting Actress, are just a few of the Sinners cast and crew recognized for their achievements. The previous record for Most noms for one movie, 14, had been held in a three way tie by the 1950s film All About Eve, Titanic and La La Land.

[Clayton Davis]

Aside from define genre expectations, this is a horror movie, a period piece. It produced the most black artists from a single film nominated for an Oscar 10 across all categories. It was just a love fest for for a movie that came out last April.

[Shemita Basu]

Clayton Davis is the chief awards editor at Variety. He notes in addition to the acting nods, Ruth E. Carter, who is nominated for best costume design for Sinners, is now the most nominated black woman in Oscars history and director Ryan Coogler with his wife Zinzi are the first married black couple to be nominated in the same category, Best Picture. Coogler is also up for best Director and original Screenplay and and for Cinematography. Autumn Derald Arkhipa is the first woman of color ever nominated in the category.

[Clayton Davis]

I think looking at this now we have an academy that's open to new types of films, but I think more so really points the knee to original filmmaking. We live in a very big IP driven world and yet sinners one battle after another. F1 Hamnet. You know original films by really career driven auteurs need an avenue to make their movies, and the Academy is recognizing that.

[Shemita Basu]

Davis does warn just because a film is nominated doesn't mean it will win. Of course, La La land only took six from its 14 nominations, and there's some stiff competition this year. Big names like Timothee Chalamet and Leonardo DiCaprio have the momentum behind them in the acting category, but there are some standout performances from others, like Wagner Mora in the Brazilian film the Secret Agent.

[Clayton Davis]

Huge fan of Wagner Mora myself, and my personal favorite lead performance of the year is him. And anything that has subtitles always has a disadvantage going into any Oscar race, especially trying to get mainstream attention.

[Shemita Basu]

Though Davis thinks at least one award is pretty much a lock.

[Clayton Davis]

Jessie Buckley in Hamnet. When I watched her, it was one of those moments that I said, this is an old timer.

[Shemita Basu]

I see you grown very strong and I see you in London working with your father in the theatre at the Playhouse. What will I be doing? What do you wish to do?

[Mary Granlund]

Hamlet.

[Clayton Davis]

I got that feeling like, okay, it's over. Best Actress, it's over.

[Shemita Basu]

This year was a huge one for Warner Brothers. It distributed the top two Oscar nominated movies, Sinners and One Battle After Another, and received a total of 30 nominations. Warner Brothers, as we've noted previously, is in the middle of a battle over who will own the historic studio next. Netflix is currently the frontrunner if they can fend off a hostile bid by Paramount.

[Clayton Davis]

In many ways, this feels like the swan song for Warner Brothers. Like if you're Warner Brothers, you're like, listen, whatever happens, happens. We win either way, but we're just gonna represent the filmmakers the best we can.

[Shemita Basu]

The Academy Awards ceremony is on March 15th. And finally, a few other stories we're following. Jack Smith, the former special prosecutor who twice indicted President Trump, gave a dramatic testimony to Congress yesterday as he defended his decisions.

[J.D. Vance]

President Trump was charged because the evidence established that he willfully broke the law.

[Shemita Basu]

The very laws he took an oath to uphold. Smith had indicted Trump over alleged attempts to overturn the election and over accusations he had held onto classified documents after leaving office. Republicans have consistently cast this as a partisan fueled attack on the president. Trump has called for Smith's prosecution and Smith told lawmakers he worries he will soon be targeted. It's official, TikTok is going nowhere. The company has established a joint venture that will create a new US version of TikTok, despite lingering security concerns over Chinese influence. And so it seems the now over a year long legal saga over the company comes to an end. According to the Wall Street Journal, its data management and all important algorithm training will be overseen by Oracle, the tech Co. Whose CEO Larry Ellison, has close ties to the White House. But some still fear influence from Beijing. ByteDance, a Chinese company, will continue to own around 20% of TikTok's US operations and maintain a seat on the board. And here's what's coming up on Apple News In Conversation this week I talked to New Yorker staff writer Elizabeth Kolbert, who's been covering environment issues for decades, about some of the most awe inspiring stories from her career, including a project that aims to use AI to communicate with sperm whales.

[Elizabeth Shockman]

Just as ChatGPT quote unquote learned English by absorbing huge amounts of text, basically the whole web. If you fed a large language model a lot of these clicks, you could get it to quote unquote understand well, you know, I sort of joke that.

[Shemita Basu]

It'S Click GPT if you're listening in the news app that's queued up to play for you next. If you're listening in the podcast app, you can follow Apple News In Conversation to find that episode or come back to the Apple News Today feed tomorrow. All new episodes of In Conversation will be available there on Saturdays too. Enjoy the weekend and we'll be back with the news on Monday. It.