Liam Conejo Ramos, 5, smiles in his bedroom at home after his release with his father from immigration detention in Dilley, Texas.U.S. Rep. Joaquin CastroLess than a week after a federal judge in San Antonio ordered the release of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father Adrian Conejo Arias from a South Texas immigrant detention center, the federal government is seeking to expedite the family's deportation proceedings.According to a Thursday evening report from MPR News, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security filed a motion Wednesday to end the family's asylum case and expedite the family's removal from the country.Article continues below this adThe motion came after U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche appeared on ABC News' "This Week" segment. During the interview, Blanche said the Trump Administration intended to issue an appeal to U.S. District Judge Fred Biery's order last Saturday to release Ramos and his father from the South Texas Family Detention Center.The center is located just an hour outside of San Antonio, and is the subject of civil rights abuse allegations against detained migrants, according to court documents.The South Texas Family Detention Center is located just an hour outside of San Antonio and is the subject of civil rights abuse allegations against detained migrants, according to court documents.Eric Gay/Associated Press"There is a schism in the law right now about whether an illegal alien can be held pending their proceeding, or whether they need to be released on bail," Blanche told ABC News. "We very strongly believe that they should be held."Article continues below this adNow, the family's legal representatives are expressing frustration at what they say feels like "retaliation" from the federal government. "It's really frustrating as an attorney, because they keep throwing new obstacles in our way. There's absolutely no reason that this should be expedited. It's not very common," immigration attorney Danielle Molliver said, according to MPR News. Several San Antonio figures are also chiming in, including U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a San Antonio Democrat.Article continues below this adRep. Joaquin Castro stands near attendees during a press conference at San Antonio City Hall in San Antonio on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. Elected officials and community leaders held the press conference to call on the Department of Homeland Security to release Liam Conejo Ramos, a 5-year-old boy who was detained along with his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Ramos.Katina Zentz/San Antonio Express-News"Liam Ramos, 5, spent ten days in a Texas trailer prison. He got sick, missed his mother and school, and was afraid of the guards. Millions prayed, spoke up, and offered to do whatever they could to see him go home," Castro wrote in a Friday update to social media."But now the Trump Administration is trying to take him again. They are breaking legal precedent in an attempt to break this boy’s spirit and all of the Americans who are praying for him," Joaquin Castro wrote. Article continues below this adAs of Friday, it is unknown where the family will be deported to if their asylum case ends. According to Molliver, the federal government may not deport them to their home country, Ecuador. Ramos' father, Conejo Arias, says their family lives in fear of what may happen to them."The government is moving many pieces, it's doing everything possible to do us harm, so that they’ll probably deport us. We live with that fear too,” he told MPR News in Spanish. Article continues below this adLiam Conejo Ramos sits with his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, after their release from an immigration detention in Dilley, Texas.U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro