IT’S (D)IFFERENT: The Media’s Strange New Interest in the Plight of Migrant Children

Jorge Bonilla
January 23rd, 2026 12:28 PM

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It is evident, with a Republican administration in power and immigration enforcement in the news, that the Elitist Media have developed a sudden interest in the plight of migrant children. This stands in stark contrast to the realities of the four years preceding. 

Case in point: the network broadcast evening news simultaneously taking an interest in the five year-old boy who found himself in ICE custody after his father fled while attempting to evade arrest in Minneapolis. Of these, the objectively worst report was delivered on the most consistently anti-Trump of the evening newscasts: ABC’s World News Tonight.

David Muir helpfully framed the situation in “growing outrage” before tossing to Matt Rivers, who decried “haunting images sparking a firestorm,” and closed with a "chilling images" flourish. 

DAVID MUIR: In the meantime, the growing outrage in Minneapolis. The images of a 5-year-old boy returning home from preschool detained by ICE. Agents taking the boy and his father into custody. Vice President JD Vance in Minneapolis today defending ICE agents, claiming they were protecting the child, saying: “what are they supposed to do?” Matt Rivers in Minneapolis again tonight.

MATT RIVERS: Tonight, the haunting images sparking a firestorm. A preschool boy standing in the Minnesota cold, swept up in the ICE crackdown. School officials say 5-year-old Liam, wearing his blue hat and backpack and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, had just pulled into their suburban Minneapolis driveway Tuesday, when agents took that father into custody. The school then saying an agent essentially used the 5-year-old as bait, directing him to see if anyone else was home before taking the boy away. The district saying Liam is among four students recently detained.

MARY GRANDLUND:The sense of safety in our community and around our schools is shaken. And our hearts are shattered. And honestly at the end of the day, children should be in school with their classmates.

RIVERS: But DHS telling a different story, saying “ICE did not target a child”, claiming Liam's father is an undocumented immigrant and fled on foot, abandoning his son in the driveway. Tonight, during a visit here in Minneapolis, Vice President JD Vance saying the agents were protecting the child.

JD VANCE: What are they supposed to do? Are they supposed to let a 5-year-old child freeze to death? 

RIVERS: But the district says multiple people on scene did offer to take the child, but were refused.

Rivers would have you believe that the child was made to stand in the brutal cold as penance for his father’s flight. The scant and partial quote of DHS’s statement does nothing to bring clarity to viewers. And perhaps this is the purpose of omitting substantial portions of it, in service of giving airtime to school staff who will tearfully bolster the narrative and help spark a “firestorm.” It should be noted that ABC had a minute and a half for the Liam story because they omitted the arrests of three of the participants of Sunday’s church incursion.

CBS and NBC’s reports were not as extensive. Here’s Nicole Sganga displaying remarkable restraint for the Evening News:

NICOLE SGANGA: This comes after an Ecuadorian man was arrested this week, who DHS says was in the country illegally. The man's 5-year-old son, Liam, was also taken into custody. At least the fourth minor detained in Minneapolis this month. DHS says the boy was abandoned by his father after fleeing the scene.

MARC PROKOSCH: Liam and his dad are in San Antonio, Texas, at the Dilley facility.

NBC’s Maggie Vespa’s reporting for the Nightly News was brief but hewed closer to ABC’s ragebaiting, what with the “critics pointing to.” However hers was the only report that noted that the child’s mother refused custody, forcing ICE to take care of him.

MAGGIE VESPA: Tonight, critics pointing to this image of a 5-year-old boy with a federal officer on Tuesday. Columbia Heights Public Schools saying Liam Conejo Ramos and his father Adrian Conejo Arias were detained in their driveway, accusing ICE of using a 5-year-old as bait.

TEACHER: All I want is for him to be safe and back here.

VESPA: Tonight, DHS responding saying officers “did not target a child” but were targeting his father, who is in the U.S. illegally from Ecuador, saying the father fled on foot abandoning his child and, that quote, “one of our ICE officers remained with the child after his mother refused to accept custody.”

VANCE: When is this he supposed do? Are they supposed to let a 5-year-old child freeze to death? Are they not supposed to arrest an illegal alien in the United States of America?

Expect the nighlies to hone in on every single child that ends up in ICE custody due to their parents being in the country illegally. Don't be shocked if/when this kid ends up on the next Time cover, photoshopped next to an image of President Trump. And then contrast this hysterical coverage with the shameful lack of coverage as hundreds of thousands of children were trafficked across the border- of whom many remain unaccounted for. Nor did we see substantial reporting on the trafficked kids that ended up working dangerous jobs, such as at meatpacking facilities. At the time, these minors were supposed to be under the jurisdiction of HHS Secretary Becerra.I don’t remember the Elitist Media seeking accountability for any of this. 

The media’s outrage over today’s children is belied by their incuriosity four years ago. It’s maddening, but I understand. Things were (D)ifferent back then. 

P.S: gird your loins, there’s a toddler now coming down the pike. 

Click ëxpand to view the full transcripts of the aforementioned reports as aired on their respective newscasts on Thursday, January 22nd, 2026:

ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT

1/22/26

6:37 PM

DAVID MUIR: In the meantime, the growing outrage in Minneapolis. The images of a 5-year-old boy returning home from preschool detained by ICE. Agents taking the boy and his father into custody. Vice President JD Vance in Minneapolis today defending ICE agents, claiming they were protecting the child, saying: “what are they supposed to do?” Matt Rivers in Minneapolis again tonight.

MATT RIVERS: Tonight, the haunting images sparking a firestorm. A preschool boy standing in the Minnesota cold, swept up in the ICE crackdown. School officials say 5-year-old Liam, wearing his blue hat and backpack and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, had just pulled into their suburban Minneapolis driveway Tuesday, when agents took that father into custody. The school then saying an agent essentially used the 5-year-old as bait, directing him to see if anyone else was home before taking the boy away. The district saying Liam is among four students recently detained.

MARY GRANDLUND:The sense of safety in our community and around our schools is shaken. And our hearts are shattered. And honestly at the end of the day, children should be in school with their classmates.

RIVERS: But DHS telling a different story, saying “ICE did not target a child”, claiming Liam's father is an undocumented immigrant and fled on foot, abandoning his son in the driveway. Tonight, during a visit here in Minneapolis, Vice President JD Vance saying the agents were protecting the child.

JD VANCE: What are they supposed to do? Are they supposed to let a 5-year-old child freeze to death? 

RIVERS: But the district says multiple people on scene did offer to take the child, but were refused. Vance broadly praising the work of federal agents, saying the vast majority are doing excellent work. But for the first time tonight, the administration telling me they are willing to discipline ICE officers, quote, “when justified.”

VANCE: Somebody did something wrong, yes, they're going to face disciplinary action, but we're not going to judge them in the court of public opinion.

RIVERS: Vance saying he's trying to ease soaring tensions amid furious protests. Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Greg Bovino tossing a smoke grenade into an unruly crowd. Agents pinning this person to the ground. This stunning image of the pepper spray at close range.

And David, tonight, the chilling image of that little boy standing out in the cold striking a chord with so many here. The family's lawyer saying the boy's father did come to this country legally, and David tonight we’ve learned both father and son are being held together at a processing facility in San Antonio. David.

MUIR: Matt Rivers in Minneapolis. Matt, thank you.

CBS EVENING NEWS

1/22/26

6:39 PM

TONY DOKOUPIL: We’re going to turn now to the breaking news out of Minnesota today, federal agents arresting three people for allegedly storming a church Sunday, disrupting services as part of an anti-ICE protest. The U.S. Attorney General saying, quote, "We do not tolerate attacks on places of worship." At the same time, Vice President JD Vance was in the state today, and Nicole Sganga has late breaking details.

NICOLE SGANGA: The protesters were all escorted in handcuffs to face charges that they disrupted a church service last Sunday. This comes after an Ecuadorian man was arrested this week, who DHS says was in the country illegally. The man's 5-year-old son, Liam, was also taken into custody. At least the fourth minor detained in Minneapolis this month. DHS says the boy was abandoned by his father after fleeing the scene.

MARC PROKOSCH: Liam and his dad are in San Antonio, Texas, at the Dilley facility.

SGANGA: Today, Vice President JD Vance visited Minnesota, imploring state leaders to de-escalate.

JD VANCE: What I do think that we can do is working with state and local officials, we can make the worst moments of chaos much less common, and all they've got to do is meet us halfway.

SGANGA: Top Homeland Security officials echoed the Vice President's appeal, asking local authorities to turn over dangerous criminals.

MARCOS CHARLES: Please honor our immigration detainers that we have lodged against criminal illegal aliens in Minnesota, in the state's jails and prisons.

SGANGA: But that's exactly what Minnesota's top corrections officer, Paul Schnell, says is already happening.

PAUL SCHNELL: As they approach their release date, several weeks before, our staff coordinates directly with the local ICE office. Staff do this on a routine basis. They make arrangements for the transfer of custody of that individual.

SGANGA: Pressed by CBS News, both the Vice President and ICE acknowledged that the Minnesota Department of Corrections, overseen by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, does cooperate with the federal government to notify ICE when undocumented criminals are released from state facilities, but argued county officials don't always. 

CHARLES: We pick individuals up from the state. It's the counties that do not honor our detainers.

DOKOUPIL: Nicole, let's talk about that memo you reported on last night regarding ICE tactics, specifically the ability to enter people's homes without a warrant from a judge. How is that a break or different from how ICE agents operated before?

SGANGA: Tony, this is a big departure from how ICE agents typically conduct their business. This memo authorizes federal agents to force entry into a home with only an administrative warrant signed by an ICE official, not a judge, raising all kinds of constitutional Fourth Amendment concerns. We heard the Vice President, JD Vance, defend this policy today, but he conceded, like some any policy changes under this administration, we’ll see how this one plays out in the courts. Tony.

DOKOUPIL: Nicole, thank you very much.

NBC NIGHTLY NEWS

1/22/26

6:36 PM

TOM LLAMAS: In Minneapolis today a high-profile visit by Vice President Vance in the middle of those chaotic protests against ICE. Vance blaming Democratic officials there for not helping federal law enforcement carry out arrests, while also acknowledging some mistakes. Here’s Maggie Vespa.

PROTESTER: LOOK WHAT THEY DID!

MAGGIE VESPA: Tonight, as anti-ICE protests here rage, Vice President Vance on the ground in Minneapolis saying he wants to turn down the temperature and support federal law enforcement officers.

JD VANCE: Because of a few very far left agitators, a lot of these guys are unable to do their jobs without being harassed, without being doxed and sometimes without being assaulted. That's totally unacceptable.

VESPA: Earlier today, acknowledging mistakes.

VANCE: You’re always going to have mistakes made in law enforcement. (VIDEO SWIPE) 99% of our police officers, probably more than that, are doing everything right.

VESPA: We pressed the Vice President. 

What do you say to people here in Minnesota who say it's the overwhelming presence of ICE officers and federal officers and their tactics that are making them feel less safe?

VANCE: Well, one thing I would say is: first of all, we saw in 2025 the biggest one-year drop in murders in the history of the United States of America. 

VESPA: Are you are saying that they’re not perceiving it correctly?

VANCE: If you understand this in context, this is the inevitable consequence of a state and local government that have decided that they are not going to cooperate with immigration enforcement at all. In fact, they are going to aggressively not cooperate.

VESPA: Minneapolis's Democratic mayor responding.

JACOB FREY: We have got this huge flux of what feels like an occupation.

VESPA: Tonight, critics pointing to this image of a 5-year-old boy with a federal officer on Tuesday. Columbia Heights Public Schools saying Liam Conejo Ramos and his father Adrian Conejo Arias were detained in their driveway, accusing ICE of using a 5-year-old as bait.

TEACHER: All I want is for him to be safe and back here.

VESPA: Tonight, DHS responding saying officers “did not target a child” but were targeting his father, who is in the U.S. illegally from Ecuador, saying the father fled on foot abandoning his child and, that quote, “one of our ICE officers remained with the child after his mother refused to accept custody.”

VANCE: When is this he supposed do? Are they supposed to let a 5-year-old child freeze to death? Are they not supposed to arrest an illegal alien in the United States of America?

VESPA: Meanwhile, this video showing Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino tossing gas to disperse protesters who had followed officers to a convenience store, throwing food and objects at them.

GREG BOVINO: We were set up on rioters who tried to stop us yesterday. Where was Minneapolis Police Department during that eight-hour stalking event?

LLAMAS: Maggie joins us tonight. Maggie, the Justice Department also announcing new arrests tonight after anti-ICE protesters disrupted that Sunday church service. What do we know?

VESPA: Yeah, Tom, that’s right. Remember those protesters said they thought a pastor at that church worked for ICE. Well, now the DoJ announcing arrests of three protesters with charges, including conspiracy to deprive rights. A lawyer for one of them telling NBC News they were arrested doing a peaceful, non-violent protest in a church. Tom.

LLAMAS: All right, Maggie. Thank you.

 

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