The Trump administration has begun the process of sending back to Ecuador a five-year-old child who was detained last month in the US state of Minnesota and later released. The US Department of Homeland Security confirmed the move on Friday.

According to Daniel Moliver, the lawyer representing the child, Liam Conejo Ramos, the administration is pushing for his client’s rapid removal from the country. Speaking to The New York Times, Moliver described the action as unusual and suggested it may be driven by retaliation.

However, Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin rejected that claim, saying the case follows standard deportation procedures. She stated that there is no retaliatory intent and that immigration laws are being enforced as usual.

Reuters attempted to obtain comments from Liam’s lawyer and the US Department of Justice but did not receive an immediate response.

Liam and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, were both legally present in the United States as asylum seekers. ICE officers detained them outside their home in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and transferred them to an immigration detention facility in Dilley, Texas. On January 31, a US judge ordered their release, after which they returned to Minnesota.

The Trump administration has defended ICE’s actions, with the Department of Homeland Security claiming that Liam’s father is in the country illegally, though no further details were provided.

The arrest of the young child drew widespread attention across the United States. Images from the incident showed the five-year-old wearing a blue winter hat and carrying a backpack as ICE officers took him into custody outside his home.

As part of a broader crackdown on immigration, the Trump administration deployed thousands of ICE officers across Minnesota, sparking protests in multiple locations. Demonstrations intensified after two US citizens were killed in a shooting involving ICE officers in Minneapolis.