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Networks Laud Judge Ordering ICE Release Illegal, Omit His Trump Hate
During Monday’s morning newscasts, ABC, CBS, and NBC boasted about a federal judge’s “strongly worded ruling” ordering the release of an illegal immigrant and his five-year-old son allegedly detained by ICE. But they all conveniently left out the Judge’s political leanings and previous anti-Trump social media posts.
The order itself was very interesting and, at many times, contains laughable mistakes and design choices.
The order, by Clinton-appointed Judge Fred Birey contained the date "February 31, 2026,” a date that didn't even exist, along with an attached image of Liam that went viral at the end of the order, under the Judge’s signature.
But, nevertheless, all the morning broadcasts shared the story by heavily quoting the court order.
ABC’s John Quinones, during his report on Good Morning America, called the Judge’s order “blistering”:
The U.S. District Judge ordering the pairs release in a blistering ruling. Writing that the case has its genesis in the ill-conceived and incompetently implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas. Apparently even if it requires traumatizing children. The judge, including the now viral image of Liam the day he was detained in his driveway arriving home from preschool. Underneath the picture two bible verses, one of which is John 11:35: “Jesus Wept”. Conejo Arias, describing the conditions inside the detention facility as not great.
Quinones did share DHS’s statement on the situation where they denied ICE arrested the child and said the father, Adrian Conejo Arias, abandoned his child. Attempting to downplay the accusation, Quinones asked the father if he abandoned the child in the interview, and he responded that he didn't; with no pushback from Quinones.
He then shared more on the judges order:
The judge also taking aim at some of the Trump Administration's immigration enforcement tactics. Writing “administrative warrants issued by the executive branch to itself do not pass probable cause muster. That is called a fox guarding the hen house.”
On CBS Mornings, there was less of a focus on the judge’s order and more of a focus on the actual story of the child, Liam. CBS framed the story from the viewpoint of anti-ICE groups, with correspondent Ian Lee, interviewing an anti-ICE mayor and then an anti-ICE law professor at the University of Minnesota (Click “expand”):
“AMADA MARQUEZ SIMULA (COLUMBIA HEIGHTS MAYOR): While we have really good news and a ray of light that - you know, we have some family members coming back. ICE is still here,
LEE: Amada Marquez Simula is the mayor of Columbia Heights, where some have banded together to watch out for patrolling federal immigration agents.
(To Marquez Simula) How was ICE’s presence affected your community.
MARQUEZ SIMULA: It’s literally terrorizing our community.
LEE: Ana Pottratz Acosta, a visiting law professor at the University of Minnesota, says the court’s decision to release Liam and his father was aimed squarely at the Trump Administration.
ANA POTTRATZ ACOSTA: It was really a rebuke against the Department of Homeland Security.
In a short report on NBC’s Today show, reporter Maggie Vespa stated the release of Liam brought a “rare sigh of relief to this city” before quoted the anti-Trump federal judge:
Now, the release was ordered over the weekend by a federal judge, who in his ruling blasted the Trump Administration's overall tactics as, quote, “an ill-conceived and incompetently implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas. Apparently, even if it requires traumatizing children."
Vespa also tried to connect the release to a measles outbreak at the detention site and implied the 5-year-old’s presence at the site gave may have given him the measles after a recent outbreak:
Now, remember, last week, Congressman Castro, when he had first visited Liam, said it seemed like the preschooler, according to his dad, had fallen ill. We're out to the family attorney about this latest headline. It is worth noting before Liam was released, DHS said a pediatrician had examined him while he was at that facility and found, in their words, no medical concerns.
All the broadcast networks ignored the political leanings of the Clinton-appointed judge, who has a history of anti-Trump orders and social media posts, as reported by Fox News congressional correspondent Bill Melugin. If it was a conservative judge in another case, they would be sure to include it in all of their pieces.
The transcript(s) are below. Click to expand:
ABC’s Good Morning America
February 2, 2026
7:06:06 AM Eastern
ROBIN ROBERTS: But now, our exclusive interview. You’ll recognize this image right here that got national attention. A small boy wearing a Spider-Man backpack detained by federal agents in Minnesota along with his father. They are back home after a federal judge ordered their release in a strongly worded ruling that condemned the government's conduct. John Quinones spoke with the father and son on the flight back home with them. Good morning, John.
JOHN QUINONES: Good morning Robin. It was a very emotional flight from San Antonio to Minneapolis. A father and son headed home and family reunited.
[Cuts to video]
QUINONES : (Translated) How are you? How do you feel?
ADRIAN CONEJO ARIAS: (Translated) Good.
QUINONES: All good?
CONEJO ARIAS: (Translated) Yes, happy.
QUINONES: ‘Feliz’ means happy and that's how Adrian Conejo Arias and his 5-year-old son Liam are feeling this morning following the release from a Texas detention facility, spanning more than a week in federal custody. ABC News exclusively joining the father and son on their journey back home to Minneapolis Sunday. Conejo Arias, originally from Ecuador, says they were arrested unjustly.
CONEJO ARIAS: (Translated) It is unjust that they arrest people who only come to this country to work hard and get their families ahead.
QUINONES: But now that they're going back home, Liam is looking forward to reuniting with his mother and his brother. The U.S. District judge ordering the pairs release in a blistering ruling. Writing that, “The case has its genesis in the ill-conceived and incompetently implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children.”
The judge, including the now viral image of Liam the day he was detained in his driveway arriving home from preschool. Underneath the picture two bible verses, one of which is John 11:35: “Jesus Wept”.
Conejo Arias, describing the conditions inside the detention facility as not great.
QUINONES: (To Conejo Arias) They could not get him medicine?
CONEJO ARIAS: No
QUINONES: Alleging that Liam became sick while there and was denied medication.
The father and son’s detainment sparking national outcry. The Department of Homeland Security said ICE did not target or arrest a child. Claiming that when agents went to arrest the father, he fled on foot, abandoning his child.
[To Conejo Arias] The government says you abandoned your son.
I asked Arias about that account.
CONEJO ARIAS: (Translated) The only thing I did was shout.
QUINONES: He tells me he was walking a few feet ahead of Liam, trying to alert people who would come out and who could help them. He says, I love my son too much, I would never abandon him.
The judge also taking aim at some of the Trump Administration's immigration enforcement tactics. Writing “administrative warrants issued by the executive branch to itself do not pass probable cause muster. That is called a fox guarding the hen house.”
[Cuts back to live]
Adrian Conejo reminds us his family is in the U.S. legally. They filed for asylum and have a court hearing set for that later this month. But the U.S. Justice Department vows to fight that. They want to see this family deported. George?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOLOUS: John Quinones, thanks.
CBS Mornings
February 2, 2026
7:15:25 AM Eastern
VLADIMIR DUTHIERS: A five-year-old boy who became a symbol of the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis was released from ICE custody over the weekend after a judge’s order. Liam Ramos and his father Adrian Arias were detained two weeks ago and taken to Texas. Homeland Security officials say Arias entered the country illegally. Their lawyers say he has a pending asylum claim. Ian Lee has more.
[Cuts to video]
IAN LEE: Cellphone video posted to social media by Democratic Representative Joaquin Castro shows five-year-old Liam Ramos and his father walking out of an ICE family detention center in Texas. On Sunday, they were flown back to Minnesota and returned home to Columbia Heights, a northern suburb of Minneapolis.
AMADA MARQUEZ SIMULA (COLUMBIA HEIGHTS MAYOR): While we have really good news and a ray of light that - you know, we have some family members coming back. ICE is still here,
LEE: Amada Marquez Simula is the mayor of Columbia Heights, where some have banded together to watch out for patrolling federal immigration agents.
(To Marquez Simula) How was ICE’s presence affected your community.
MARQUEZ SIMULA: It’s literally terrorizing our community.
LEE: Ana Pottratz Acosta, a visiting law professor at the University of Minnesota, says the court’s decision to release Liam and his father was aimed squarely at the Trump Administration.
ANA POTTRATZ ACOSTA: It was really a rebuke against the Department of Homeland Security.
LEE: Can Liam and his father sleep easily tonight.
ACOSTA: I would say so.
LEE: The situation around Minneapolis sparked anti-ICE demonstrations across the country over the weekend, from New York to California. On Friday the Department of Justice opened a civil rights investigation into the death of Alex Pretti. President Trump announced this weekend he is now advising the Department of Homeland Security not to intervene and protest occurring in cities led by Democrats unless local authorities ask for federal help.
TRUMP: If they want help they have to ask for it because if we go in, all they do is complain.
(Cuts back to live)
LEE: The Department of Homeland Security says it did not target or arrest Liam, saying his father wanted him to remain with him while he was detained. On Sunday, the same detention center where they were held confirmed it had an active measles outbreak. Nate?
NATE BURLESON: Ian, thank you.
NBC’s Today
February 2, 2026
8:04:34 AM Eastern
CRAIG MELVIN: Meanwhile, some new developments tied to the ongoing ICE raids in Minnesota. The five-year-old detained by ICE agents with his dad is back in the Minneapolis area this morning. This as we're learning they may have a measles outbreak at the Texas detention facility where they were being held. NBC's Maggie Vespa joins us now with the very latest. Maggie, good morning.
MAGGIE VESPA: Craig, good morning. We'll start with the homecoming of little Liam Ramos, bringing a rare sigh of relief to this city. New photos and videos released over the weekend showing him and his father leaving that South Texas detention facility and traveling home yesterday, all smiles. This almost two weeks after they were detained in their snowy Minnesota driveway, with images of Liam in that little blue hat instantly going viral and igniting global outrage.
Now, their release was ordered over the weekend by a federal judge, who in his ruling blasted the Trump Administration's overall tactics as, quote, “an ill-conceived and incompetently implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently, even if it requires traumatizing children.”
Now, they were escorted out of the facility, it's worth noting, by Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro, whose chief of staff later in court filings said ICE had told them that there's a growing measles outbreak at that facility that houses kids and families and has been the sight of recent protests.
DHS confirming at least two detainees have fallen ill inside that facility, and telling us in a statement that they're, quote “ceasing all movement within the facility and quarantining all individuals suspected of making contact with the infected.”
Now, remember, last week, Congressman Castro, when he had first visited Liam, said it seemed like the preschooler, according to his dad, had fallen ill. We're out to the family attorney about this latest headline. It is worth noting before Liam was released, DHS said a pediatrician had examined him while he was at that facility and found, in their words, no medical concerns. Craig?
MELVIN: Maggie Vespa for us, there on the ground in Minneapolis. Thank you.