ICE rejects ‘false narrative’ about family separation, asserts Minnesota church rioters were not peaceful

A apical U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authoritative connected Friday rejected the "false narrative" surrounding an incidental involving a 5-year-old lad successful Minnesota, portion besides asserting that an anti-ICE mob that precocious stormed a religion was not peaceful. 

A photograph of a young kid lasting adjacent to a achromatic conveyance has gone viral this week pursuing an enforcement cognition successful the Minneapolis area. ICE and the Department of Homeland Security said Thursday that the kid was "abandoned" by his father, not targeted by national migration agents. 

"It's a shame to spot politicians and activists spreading fearfulness successful their ain communities by creating a mendacious communicative astir what we bash and who we are and who we arrest," ICE Executive Assistant Director of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Marcos Charles said Friday.  

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A photograph shows a young kid lasting beside a conveyance during an ICE operation. (Columbia Heights Public Schools)

"One of our officers stayed behind with that kid portion different officers apprehended his father. After conducting the arrest, my officers stayed with the child. They cared for him. Took him to get thing to devour from a drive-through restaurant and spent hours ensuring helium was taken attraction of. Again, my officers did that, not his father," Charles added. 

"My officers did everything they could to reunite him with his family. Tragically, erstwhile we approached the doorway of his residence, the radical wrong refused to instrumentality him successful and unfastened the door," Charles continued. "Let maine accidental it again. They saw the young boy, and they refused to unfastened the doorway and instrumentality him back." 

"This is the quality broadside of the job that my officers do. They are family men and women. They person children of their own. They sacrifice everything for their families. I know for a fact that they were heartbroken to spot the child's ain household permission him behind. Fortunately, [Adrian Alexander] Conejo Arias eventually requested that his kid enactment with him," helium besides said. 

"We bash everything successful our power not to abstracted families. So they took him backmost together... to the ICE facility for processing. And present they are being good cared for at a family residential center, pending their migration proceedings," Charles concluded. "This is the existent look of ICE ERO, Border Patrol and our allied partners. The media doesn't know our officers, we do. My officers bash the close thing no substance how difficult or however agelong it takes passim the day."

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Federal authorities arrested Chauntyll Allen, person of Black Lives Matter Twin Cities, left, agitator William Kelly, center, and Nekima Levy-Armstrong, Racial Justice Network leader, right, aft a mob invaded a St. Paul, Minnesota, church, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced connected Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (Department of Homeland Security)

Charles besides spoke retired against the behaviour of an anti-ICE mob that stormed a religion successful St. Paul earlier this week. 

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced aggregate arrests successful narration to that incidental connected Thursday, including Nekima Levy Armstrong, whom Bondi said, "allegedly played a cardinal relation successful organizing the coordinated onslaught connected Cities Church successful St. Paul, Minnesota."

"Federal instrumentality protects the state of religion and the close to worship without interference. What these agitators did was not a peaceful protest," Charles said Friday. "They rioted at religion services. They screamed and harassed children. They denied Minnesotans the quality to worship peacefully." 

A protester, left, and a national instrumentality enforcement serviceman reason extracurricular a location connected Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, successful St. Paul, Minn.  (Yuki Iwamura/AP)

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"I've been successful instrumentality enforcement for 33 years now, and this is the archetypal time I've ever seen a protestation successful a religion where they're harassing individuals trying to peacefully worship. It's disturbing to cognize that these individuals would people ineffable spaces and viciously harass guiltless families. Sacred spaces indispensable beryllium respected," helium added.