Family of Liam Conejo Ramos has more time to respond to DHS deportation proceedings
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Immigration lawyers representing the family of Liam Conejo Ramos says the fight to keep the government from deporting the family continues.
The federal government filed a motion Wednesday seeking to end asylum claims for the family of Liam Conejo Ramos, according to the lawyer representing the family. The 5-year-old returned home this week after he was detained with his father on Jan. 20 and sent to a detention center in Texas.
Nwokocha & Operana Law Offices, the Minneapolis-based law firm representing the family, was told in an immigration hearing Friday that it had more time to respond to the filing.
Attorney Paschal Nwokocha told MPR News "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."
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Nwokocha also says the firm was "fully committed" to fight for the family and do what it can to keep them in the country. The firm did not specify to MPR News how much additional time it received.
Attorneys said the federal government may not deport them to Ecuador, their home country. Instead, the family could apply for asylum in a third country.
Liam’s father, Adrian Conejo Arias, said they don’t know what will happen to them.
"The government is moving many pieces, it's doing everything possible to do us harm, so that they’ll probably deport us. We live with that fear too,” Conejo Arias said. The interview was conducted in Spanish and translated by MPR News.
DHS did not respond to a request for comment.
— Regina Medina, MPR News
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