An immigration judge has ended the asylum claims of Liam Conejo Ramos and his family, according to their Minneapolis lawyer.
The 5-year-old boy from Columbia Heights received national attention after he was detained by U.S. immigration authorities along with his father.
Attorney Danielle Molliver, with Nwokocha & Operana Law Offices, told MPR News on Wednesday that the firm is appealing the decision handed down by U.S. Immigration Judge John Burns. Molliver said an appeal could take months or years.
Molliver said if the family loses the appeal, they are expected to be deported to Ecuador, their country of origin.
The federal government filed a motion in early February that sought to end asylum claims for the Conejo Ramos family, Molliver said. The family includes 5-year-old Liam, his 13-year-old brother and his parents Adrian Conejo Arias and Erika Ramos, who is pregnant with the couple’s third child.