ICE in Minnesota live updates: Vance to visit Minneapolis days after agents detain five-year-old boy

Vice President JD Vance is expected to meet with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minneapolis Thursday afternoon, just days after the agency detained a five-year-old boy.

At least four students in nearby Columbia Heights, Minnesota, have been taken by ICE officers in recent weeks, school district officials said Wednesday. This includes five-year-old Liam Canejo Ramos and his father, who were detained Tuesday, according to school district officials.

The Department of Homeland Security said Thursday the five-year-old was “abandoned,” and that ICE agents “did not target a child.”

Vance is expected to deliver public remarks after meeting with ICE agents in Minneapolis. Beforehand, he’s set to travel to Toledo, Ohio, where he’s expected to speak on the Trump administration’s economic agenda.

Protests are ongoing in Minneapolis as federal immigration agents continue to operate in the area. The Department of Homeland Security launched “Operation Metro Surge” in the region last month, and agents have made thousands of arrests since, the agency said earlier this week.

The operation has sparked protests and backlash from local officials, which further intensified after an ICE officer shot and killed Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother, on January 7 in Minneapolis.

Meanwhile, ICE continues to ramp up activity in other states, including Maine, where the agency launched “Operation Catch of the Day” earlier this week.