When External Forces Disrupt Childhood: A Five-Year-Old’s Detention and What It Means for Education and Psychological Safety

Photo courtesy of Columbia Heights Public Schools, via The Gaurdian.

A Shocking Incident in Minnesota Schools

In Columbia Heights, Minnesota, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained at least four students this month — including a five-year-old boy named Liam Conejo Ramos — sparking widespread concern among educators, families, and community leaders.

According to school officials, Liam was taken along with his father outside their home just as he was returning from preschool. Critics say that ICE used the child in a controversial tactical move to gain access to the family’s home.

Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenvik questioned both the necessity and the impact of such actions, asking, “Why detain a five-year-old?” and stressing that the family had an active asylum case with no deportation order.

How This Erodes Psychological Safety in Schools

When federal enforcement reaches into school communities and neighborhoods, it shakes the very foundation of psychological safety that children depend on for healthy learning and development. A child’s sense of security — both emotional and physical — is essential for curiosity, social engagement, and academic growth.

This incident disrupted not just Liam’s world but the entire school community. School officials reported declines in attendance and widespread fear among families as other children witnessed raids or heard about classmates being taken.

For young learners, feeling safe and predictable environments are not extras — they are prerequisites for learning. When the possibility of detention or separation enters the picture, it undermines trust in adults, institutions, and even peers, making attentiveness and cognitive growth far more difficult.

Intersecting Systems: Immigration Enforcement and Education

This event didn’t happen in isolation. It is part of a broader federal immigration operation that has intensified over recent weeks in Minnesota, including large deployments of agents and controversial enforcement actions in multiple contexts.

While federal agencies assert that adults — not children — are the targets of these operations, the reality on the ground includes children being detained or present during arrests, and families being transported far from their communities.

Such actions inevitably spill into the educational sphere, affecting attendance, teacher morale, and parents’ willingness to send children to school for fear of encountering enforcement agents. The psychological toll on students, especially very young children, is profound and long-lasting.

The Role of Schools in Supporting Autonomy Amid External Pressure

In situations like this, schools become more than places of academic instruction — they are anchors of emotional support and stability. Educators, counselors, and administrators play a vital role in helping children process fear, confusion, and loss in ways that preserve internal autonomy and resilience.

From a psychological safety perspective, this means fostering environments where children feel seen, heard, and emotionally supported — even when external circumstances feel unpredictable or distressing. Educators can:

• Provide open, age-appropriate conversations about safety and feelings.

• Reinforce routines and structures that promote predictability.

• Offer reflection and grounding practices to help children distinguish internal feelings from external chaos.

A Call to Preserve Childhood, Sovereignty & Well-Being

While policy debates over immigration enforcement are complex and ongoing, the case of a five-year-old being detained outside his home offers a human illustration of what’s at stake for our youngest learners. A child’s sense of psychological safety — his internal world of trust, curiosity, and autonomy — is not separate from external systemic pressures. Instead, it is in direct conversation with them.

As schools and communities navigate these realities, it is vital to reaffirm that education isn’t just about content — it is about nurturing human beings who feel safe enough to think, grow, and truly belong. Maintaining psychological safety and internal sovereignty in the face of external stressors is not optional — it is essential for every child’s future.