NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What would you want to learn more about?
SUMMARY
The ICE operations in the Twin Cities are also affecting children who are caught up in the surge of personnel and detentions. A 5-year-old boy who was held by federal agents is a student in the Columbia Heights School District. Liz Landers discussed the incident with Superintendent Zena Stenvik.
News alternative: Check out recent segments from the News Hour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.
View the transcript of the story.
WARM-UP QUESTIONS
- Who is the boy described in this story, and what is his background?
- What happened to Liam, according to reports?
- Where was Liam transferred by immigration officers?
- How have federal immigration officers responded to concern about Liam?
- Why does Zena Stenvik say that the federal government's version of events is misleading?
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
- In this interview, Zena Stenvik says that there is "nothing normal about our daily lives at this point." What sort of examples does she provide? How do you think the difficulties she described are impacting the learning environment for students?
- How do you think schools can best be protected from the impacts of federal immigration enfocement actions?
Media literacy: Why do you think News Hour producers chose to interview a school superintendent? Who else do you think they might have interviewed about immigration agents in schools?
WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO
Read more about the case of five-year-old Liam's detainment in the AP article, "Federal officers detain 5-year-old boy who a Minnesota school official says was used as 'bait'"
After reading the article, discuss as a class —
- Based on the description of events in the article, do you think it's fair to characterize the actions of federal officers as using Liam as "bait"? Why or why not?
- Why do you think federal agents are using tactics such as these if the goal as stated is to deport the "worst of the worst" criminals?
ICE agents stand next to a boy, who a witness identified as Liam Conejo Ramos, a five-year-old that school officials said was detained in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 20, 2026. Rachel James/via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. Reuters verified the location from the road layout, buildings, and fence seen in the video and photographs which matched file and satellite imagery of the area. The date when the visuals were filmed was confirmed by the original file metadata. The school district officials said that a five-year-old was detained on Tuesday (January 20). The Department of Homeland Security said they attempted to apprehend the father of the boy on Tuesday (January 20.). THIS PICTURE WAS CROPED BY REUTERS. AN UNCROPED VERSION HAS BEEN PROVIDED SEPARATELY. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
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