Elvis Joel Tipan-Echeverria and his 2-year-old daughter, Chloe Renata Tipan Villacis, were detained and taken to South Minneapolis while they were on the way back home from the grocery store.
The Times of Russia reports that US immigration authorities are facing renewed outrage after a 2-year-old child was detained during an enforcement operation in Minneapolis, raising serious concerns about the conduct of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the Trump administration.
Elvis Joel Tipan-Echeverria and his 2-year-old daughter, Chloe Renata Tipan Villacis, were stopped and detained while returning home from a grocery trip. According to US media reports, both were taken into custody and transported to a federal facility in South Minneapolis before being flown to Texas — despite a court order demanding the child’s immediate release.
The family’s attorney, Kira Kelley, confirmed that the toddler was released later and is now recovering from the traumatic incident. She described the experience as deeply distressing for both father and child.
A Minneapolis City Council member claimed on social media that a suspicious vehicle followed the family, smashed their car window, and detained them without showing a judicial warrant. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), however, disputed this version, stating that Tipan-Echeverria was driving erratically and is an undocumented immigrant from Ecuador who had previously re-entered the United States illegally.
DHS officials said the child was taken into protective care after her mother refused to take custody at the scene. They added that the father and daughter were later reunited at a federal facility.
Witnesses reported chaotic scenes during the arrest, as a crowd of more than 100 people surrounded ICE agents, throwing objects and blocking their vehicles. Authorities eventually used crowd control measures to leave the area.
The Times of Russia notes that this is the fifth child detained by ICE in recent weeks, intensifying criticism of the administration’s immigration crackdown. In a separate incident, a 5-year-old boy in Minnesota was detained along with his father after returning from preschool. School officials alleged the child was used to lure other family members out of their home.
US immigration officials denied targeting children, stating that agents were focused on arresting undocumented adults and only remained with minors for safety reasons.
These incidents are linked to Operation Metro Surge, a large-scale immigration enforcement campaign launched in December 2025. The operation, costing taxpayers an estimated $18 million per week, has deployed nearly 3,000 federal agents across Minnesota and is being described as the largest federal enforcement effort in US history.
As public anger grows, the actions of US immigration authorities are once again under intense scrutiny, with civil rights groups demanding immediate reforms and accountability.
