How 1 Minneapolis School District Has Been Upended by Immigration Raids (Exclusive)

Liam Ramos and 6 Other Kids Were All Detained by ICE from This 1 School District. How the Raids Upended Daily Life (Exclusive) For months thousands of officers swept through Minneapolis, apprehending immigrants. Now a shaken school district reveals how its community has changed and how its members are helping each other By Janelle Griffith Published on March 5, 2026 10:00AM EST Leave a Comment Tracy Huerta, an English-language teacher at Valley View Elementary School, which her sons, Diego, 4, and Justin, 7, attend. Credit : Jordan Vonderhaar NEED TO KNOW At the Columbia Heights Public School District outside Minneapolis, one-fifth of the 3,400 students are now virtual to avoid immigration officersSeven kids have been detained from the district, including preschooler Liam Conjeo RamosWhile the federal government says they are focused on criminals, the school district superintendent tells PEOPLE, "We're under a cloud of fear, instilled all around us" Tucked inside a cubby in a pre-K classroom at Valley View Elementary School, just north of Minneapolis, are the signs of a little boy's life interrupted: a blanket patterned in black cats, bats and spiderwebs and a small stuffed dinosaur with floppy white fabric for teeth. This is what 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos left behind on Jan. 20, when federal officers took him and his immigrant father, Adrian Conejo Arias, to the South Texas Family Residential Center for roughly two weeks. He hasn't been back to school since. Take PEOPLE with you! Subscribe to PEOPLE magazine to get the latest details on celebrity news, exclusive royal updates, how-it-happened true crime stories and more — right to your mailbox. Liam Conejo Ramos and his dad, Adrian Conejo Arias — who doesn't have a criminal record, according to his attorney — face potential deportation. The family is seeking asylum. Pictured is Liam's cubby at school on Feb. 12. Jordan Vonderhaar Tracy Huerta’s sons Diego, 4, and Justin, 7 (outside Valley View on Feb. 12), are a part of the Columbia Heights Public School District, where one-fifth of the 3,400 students are now virtual to avoid ICE. “It will make me happy if they go away,” Justin says of the agents. Jordan Vonderhaar There are 570 kids at Valley View, and four of them have been detained (out of seven total from the school district), as have 30 parents or care givers from the school, amid President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown — a signature campaign promise that provoked unprecedented outcry over its scope and use of force. The White House maintains that its focus is on criminals, but advocates say innocents have been swept up by the as many as 4,000 agents around the city. "Even though we are U.S. citizens, we're afraid," says Tracy Huerta, 32, an English-language teacher at Liam's school. "We always carry our passports." In mid-February officials said that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement — which is planning operations in other cities — would draw down in Minneapolis after more than two months. PEOPLE recently went there to speak with community members. Here are their stories. Our new app is here! Free, fun and full of exclusives. Scan to download now! To help affected students get food, transportation and more, Valley View social worker Nicole Herje (on Feb. 12) says they've created "almost a mini nonprofit" at school. Jordan Vonderhaar 'We're Seeing Them Break Down' NICOLE HERJE, 35, VALLEY VIEW ELEMENTARY SOCIAL WORKER A lot of students talk about trouble sleeping because of all the noise. They're hearing the sirens. They're hearing the whistles and the car alarms [of protesters]. And this has been going on for months now. So when their brains are consistently not getting enough sleep, obviously they're tired in school — but then it's creating trouble concentrating. We're seeing quicker responses to little stimuli. We're seeing them break down more frequently. Their brains are in this kind of fear-response mode, and the littlest thing might set them off. I'm out at recess duty, and we've seen ICE by our playground. That's not something that we should have to be monitoring or dealing with. "Our staff, they're putting their all into it," says Jason Kuhlman, principal of Valley View (on Feb. 12). Jordan Vonderhaar A School Administrator's Low Point JASON KUHLMAN, 51, VALLEY VIEW ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL I've lost kids to cancer. I've lost kids to violence. I'd never had to do this: Nine days after Liam was detained, I took two of my other students to the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis at the request of their mother, who was detained there after an immigration check-in. Knowing what we're about — the values, ethics and morals educators have regarding protecting and keeping kids safe — I felt like I was delivering them to jail. That's what it felt like to me. Those two little boys were so brave and tough, though, going through the metal detectors and seeing all the people with guns. We are pleased that the two brothers and their mother have [since] been released and that the boys have returned to our school. "There's a lot of families struggling, and there's not a lot of voices that can reach out," says Somali American sophomore Mohamed Jama (at Columbia Heights High School on Feb. 13). Jordan Vonderhaar Fear to Have Fun Where It's Not Safe MOHAMED JAMA, 15, COLUMBIA HEIGHTS HIGH SCHOOL 10TH GRADER I used to play out in the snow with other kids in my neighborhood, because I've always considered this a safe area. Nowadays we don't. I don't like going out; I prefer to stay inside. I feel safe at home and at school and at my [extended] family's houses, but I don't feel safe anywhere else. That's what really hurts. As a Somali American, I feel like they're gonna come get me. Valley View's Jenna Scott (right, on Feb. 12) walks a concerned colleague to her car each day as a show of support. Jordan Vonderhaar 'Why Don’t People Want Us Here?’ VALLEY VIEW ELEMENTARY TEACHER WHO REQUESTED ANONYMITY I've been in the U.S. since I was a baby, so I have a naturalized citizenship. All I've ever known is Minnesota. That's the same as many of my students. This is their home. And they have the questions of "Why don't people want us here? Why don't people like us?" I don't know how to answer those questions, because I have the same ones. With many students fearful or staying home (like on Feb. 12), "this is probably [my] hardest year," says Valley View second-grade teacher Jenna Scott. Jordan Vonderhaar 'We Don't Know What We're Showing Up To' JENNA SCOTT, 32, VALLEY VIEW ELEMENTARY 2ND GRADE TEACHER Students are asking: "Why do they not like me, because of my skin? What did I do wrong?" You can only say so much. I've been teaching for a decade, and this is probably the hardest year. Every single day, we don't know what we're showing up to. "My biggest fear is that this is normalized," says superintendent Zena Stenvik (monitoring an affected neighborhood on Feb. 12). She has had to respond to reports of ICE on school grounds. Jordan Vonderhaar 'Every Aspect of Daily Life Has Been Impacted' ZENA STENVIK, 51, COLUMBIA HEIGHTS PUBLIC SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT Sometimes for an hour before I get into my office, I'll be driving the neighborhoods where I know that students were stopped. They're being questioned and then released, oftentimes. It's a daily occurrence. I meet with them afterward, and they're visibly shaken. That type of fear is not only happening in our children, but also with many of our staff who are people of color, our families who just want to go to the store or go to work or bring their children to school. We're under a cloud of fear, instilled all around us. My main focus is safety for our community. So many of our students who have been detained were on their way to or on their way home from school. Almost every aspect of our daily lives has been impacted. So many community members are being vigilant. Volunteers meet regularly at the elementary school to prep groceries for residents who feel they can't go out in public. Jordan Vonderhaar 'Things You Actually Can Do' DREW ZUEHLKE, 45, VOLUNTEERS TO DELIVER GROCERIES TO SCARED FAMILIES STAYING HOME Our church meets in the high school, and a bunch of us already had been working with the schools for years. When stuff started getting crazier, the high school told us they needed help with groceries. So we showed up, and there would be piles of food for us to run out. Once stuff hit the news, other people started coming, bringing more food. My daughters, who are 17 and 14, got really excited to help as well. We're trying to encourage everyone: Don't just sit for four hours and scroll and be overwhelmed. There's things you actually can do. We've never seen this many people in our community this activated. It stinks it had to be this way. But it's encouraging. High school students made origami bunnies — or conejos, like Liam's name — to represent kids like him who have been in ICE detention. Some are seen here on Feb. 13. Jordan Vonderhaar 'We're Called to Love Our Neighbors' MATTHEW HINTON, 55, PASTOR AT HEIGHTS CHURCH WHO DELIVERS GOODS WITH ZUEHLKE As a pastor, I believe that we’re called to love our neighbors and to serve our neighbors. This is a way that is not interfering with the efforts of law enforcement, but at the same time it’s helping people that we know are being impacted. One place where I delivered to, as I was getting ready to leave, one of the people came out, and I held the door for him and handed him the bags. To see the relief on his face, that I wasn’t a threat — to me, that was positive feedback. What we are doing is helping someone who was in need. Editor's note: These interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity. Close Leave a Comment Read more: Human Interest Real People