Congressman Castro Reunites with Liam Conejo Ramos, Tours Minneapolis Elementary School

Congressman Castro Reunites with Liam Conejo Ramos, Tours Minneapolis Elementary School

Minneapolis, MN - Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) released the following statement after visiting Valley View Elementary School in Minneapolis, Minnesota:

"Today I reunited with Liam Conejo Ramos and his father Adrian at his school, Valley View Elementary in Minnesota. The last time I was with them, I was escorting them back home from the Dilley Trailer Prison. Liam's mom was 3 months pregnant at the time. Today, I met Liam's new brother.

"Liam, the boy with the bunny hat and spiderman backpack, was one of many children who were taken during Operation Metro Surge. Today, I met with one such student and her family. She and her mom spent over 50 days at Dilley. She dreams of becoming a doctor. Both families shared their stories with me. They didn't receive a proper meal when they arrived. They had nothing with them-no comforts from home. They had done nothing wrong and didn't know why they were taken and locked away.

"The suffering does not end when children leave Dilley. It inflicts lasting trauma.

"Thank you to Antonio Tijerino of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation for joining me and to everyone at Liam's school. I am deeply grateful to the teachers and staff at Valley View Elementary School and the administrators at Columbia Heights Public Schools. You are doing an extraordinary job making school a place for learning, not fear.

"Kids deserve to be kids. We need to shut down Dilley and end child detention in America."