A two-year-old girl taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minneapolis on Thursday was flown to a facility in Texas with her father, despite a judge's order for her immediate release. The child was returned to her mother in Minnesota on Friday afternoon following a legal challenge, but her father remains in federal custody.
The incident has intensified scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement actions in the Minneapolis area, marking the second time in a week a young child has been detained and transported out of state during an arrest.
Key Takeaways
- A 2-year-old girl and her father, both citizens of Ecuador, were detained by ICE agents in Minneapolis.
- The child was flown to Texas hours after a Minnesota court ordered her immediate release to the family's attorney.
- The girl was returned to her mother the following day, while her father, Elvis Tipan-Echeverria, remains in custody.
- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the family's lawyer have provided conflicting accounts of the arrest and the mother's role.
- This event follows the recent detention of a 5-year-old boy in a separate Minneapolis-area ICE operation.
A Tense Encounter in Minneapolis
The situation began on Thursday afternoon when ICE agents conducted what a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson described as a “targeted enforcement operation.” The father, identified as Elvis Tipan-Echeverria, was with his daughter in their vehicle at their home after returning from a store.
According to a sworn affidavit from the family's attorney, Kira Kelley, agents entered the family's property without a warrant. The father reportedly refused to exit the vehicle. The affidavit states that an agent then broke a window of the car while the toddler was inside. Subsequently, both father and child were removed from the vehicle and taken into custody.
DHS offered a different narrative, stating that agents attempted to stop Tipan-Echeverria for driving erratically. The agency claimed he parked and then “refused multiple lawful commands to open his door or lower his window.”
Community Response and Clashing Accounts
Video from the scene shows a tense standoff between residents and armed federal agents. As the arrest unfolded, a crowd of approximately 120 people gathered, surrounding the agents' vehicle. DHS reported that some individuals threw rocks and garbage cans, prompting agents to use crowd control measures to leave the area.
A Pattern of Controversial Arrests
This incident comes on the heels of another high-profile detention in Minneapolis. Earlier this month, 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken into custody with his father from their driveway. They were also flown to a family detention center in Texas, where they remain. These cases have fueled growing public outrage and protests against federal immigration tactics in the state.
A significant point of contention involves the child's mother. DHS claimed that agents attempted to give the toddler to her mother, who was nearby, but she refused. The agency stated that agents then “took care of the child who the mother would not take.”
However, the family's lawyer disputes this account. The court affidavit says the mother was terrified as agents approached her and that she and her husband were calling out to each other. It alleges that agents prevented the father from handing the child over to her mother before placing both father and daughter into an ICE vehicle, which reportedly lacked a car seat.
Legal Battle and a Defied Court Order
Following the detention, the family's legal team filed an emergency petition for the child's immediate release. The toddler, identified in court documents as C.R.T.V., is a citizen of Ecuador with a pending asylum application who has lived in Minneapolis since she was a newborn.
A Minnesota court granted the petition, issuing an order at 8:11 p.m. Thursday for the child to be released by 9:30 p.m. The judge cited the “overwhelming” risk of irreparable harm if the toddler remained in custody.
“The child is out of detention as of this afternoon, and recovering from this horrific ordeal,” family attorney Kira Kelley stated on Friday evening.
Despite the court's clear directive, the order was not followed. According to the family's lawyer, a DHS counsel informed her that the father and daughter were placed on a commercial flight to Texas at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, just minutes after the judge's order was issued.
Timeline of Events
- Thursday, ~1:00 PM: Elvis Tipan-Echeverria and his 2-year-old daughter are taken into custody by ICE.
- Thursday, 8:11 PM: A Minnesota court orders the immediate release of the child.
- Thursday, 8:30 PM: The father and daughter are placed on a flight to Texas.
- Friday Afternoon: The child is flown back to Minnesota and reunited with her mother.
The Aftermath and Unanswered Questions
After being informed that the court order had been disregarded, the family's attorney was told by DHS that the agency would fly the child back to Minnesota on Friday. The toddler was reunited with her mother that afternoon.
Her father, Elvis Tipan-Echeverria, was also on the return flight but was taken back into federal custody upon arrival. A separate federal court order now bars ICE from removing him from Minnesota while his legal proceedings are underway.
The events have raised serious questions about the protocols and authority of federal immigration agents operating in local communities. The decision to transport a toddler out of state in apparent defiance of a judicial order has drawn sharp criticism and calls for accountability from community leaders and legal experts.
The family's legal team has stated they were unable to contact either the father or the child from the time they were taken into custody until the child's return on Friday. The long-term implications for the family's asylum case and the father's legal status remain uncertain.