2021 – The Biden administration ends the practice of family detention, a policy later reinstated by the Trump administration and cited as a backdrop for the 2026 Dilley cases [6].

2023 – The Detained Parents Directive requires ICE to allow parents to arrange alternate care for children, except in limited exemptions, shaping the legal debate over Liam’s detention [27].

Dec 2024 – Adrian Conejo Arias and his five‑year‑old son Liam enter the United States from Ecuador, file an asylum claim on Dec 17 2024, and use the CBP One app to schedule their appointment, asserting they follow all asylum protocols [4], [8].

Nov 2025 – The South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley houses roughly 160 families; detainees report contaminated food, mold, limited medical care, and violations of the 1997 Flores settlement [24].

Dec 24, 2025 – Sixteen‑year‑old Kevin Moreno is released after six months in ICE custody, highlighting prolonged detention concerns and prompting statements from Connecticut officials [23].

Nov 27, 2025 – A Vermont mother and her 7‑year‑old son are turned away at the US‑Canada border, transferred to Dilley detention, and await a hearing in early January, illustrating the center’s expanding use [25].

Jan 20, 2026 – ICE agents seize five‑year‑old Liam Ramos and his father Adrian Conejo Arias from their driveway in Columbia Heights, Minneapolis, and transport them 1,300 miles to the Dilley family detention center [3], [27].

Jan 22‑23, 2026 – DHS states the operation targets the father, not the child, while ICE says an officer stays with Liam; nationwide protests erupt after viral images of the boy in a bunny hat surface [4], [21].

Jan 24, 2026 – Columbia Heights superintendent Zena Stenvik alleges officers tell Liam to knock on his door to lure his mother, a claim DHS calls an “abject lie” [27].

Jan 25, 2026 – Dozens of immigrant families gather behind Dilley’s fences, chanting “Libertad” and decrying substandard conditions such as contaminated food and inadequate medical care [26].

Jan 27, 2026 – U.S. District Judge Fred Biery issues a temporary order halting any deportation or transfer of Liam and his father, responding to a petition and mounting protests [17].

Jan 28, 2026 – Rep. Joaquin Castro visits Dilley, demands the boy’s release and reports “putrid” water and lockdowns; Texas State Police deploy pepper‑ball canisters to disperse demonstrators [16], [15].

Jan 29, 2026 – Protesters clash with Texas state troopers outside Dilley, with officers throwing objects into the crowd as lawmakers join the demand for Liam’s freedom [3].

Jan 31, 2026 – Judge Biery orders the immediate release of Liam and his father, condemning the Trump administration’s “daily deportation quotas” and invoking the Declaration of Independence and biblical passages [14], [12], [13].

Feb 1, 2026 – Congressman Joaquin Castro picks up the family from Dilley and escorts them back to Minneapolis, ending more than a week of federal custody and prompting celebratory statements from state officials [1], [10].

Feb 2, 2026 – Adrian Conejo Arias publicly denies abandoning his son, says Liam fell ill and was denied medication in detention, and emphasizes the family’s compliance with asylum procedures [7]; Judge Biery’s order also stresses that arrests require independent judicial authorization [8].

Feb 2, 2026 – Minnesota schools report bomb threats and a rise in absenteeism after multiple student detentions, underscoring community trauma linked to the ICE raids [7].

Feb 2, 2026 – Congressional members who were barred from an ICE facility on Jan 10 after a new seven‑day notice rule is reinstated highlight ongoing legal battles over oversight of detention practices [7].

Feb 8, 2026 – A federal judge orders the removal of a two‑month‑old infant with bronchitis; the child is deported to Mexico despite the family’s claim of medical instability [5].

Feb 18, 2026 – Infant Juan Nicolás is deported after a three‑week detention at Dilley, raising further concerns about pediatric care at the privately run facility [6].

Feb 19, 2026 – DHS spokesperson asserts the infant was medically cleared and stable before deportation, countering Rep. Castro’s criticism of the removal [5].

Feb 2, 2026 – Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announces the government will review options and may appeal the release order, indicating the administration’s intent to continue the legal fight [8].