Credit : Congressman Joaquin Castro/Facebook NEED TO KNOW An immigration court judge has ended the asylum claims for 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, his 13-year-old brother and his parents, Adrian Conejo Arias and Erika RamosThe family's attorneys are appealing the decision, a process that could take months or yearsImages of Liam wearing a blue bunny hat and surrounded by ICE officers had sparked outcry about the Trump administration's immigration crackdown A judge has ended the asylum claims of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, whose detention became a symbol of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in Minnesota, and his family, and ordered them deported, according to their attorney. An immigration court judge handed down the decision on Feb. 19, one of the family's attorneys, Paschal Nwokocha, tells PEOPLE. But he says the family shared that information publicly for the first time on Wednesday, March 18, with Minnesota Public Radio, which was first to report the development. Nwokocha says he has asked the Board of Immigration Appeals, a branch of the Justice Department, to send the case back to the immigration court to hear the merits of the family’s asylum claim. An appeal could take months or years, he says, and if the family loses the appeal, they could be deported to Ecuador, where they are from. "Our concern in this case is the speed at which the government has been moving," Nwokocha tells PEOPLE. In response to a request for comment, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Lauren Bis said Liam and his father "received full due process and were issued a final order of removal on February 19." The agency has said Liam's father entered the country illegally in December 2024. But Nwokocha says they did not commit any crimes and entered the country legally as asylum seekers at a border crossing in Brownsville, Texas, in 2024 through the CBP One app, a Biden-era program, which allowed migrants to schedule an appointment to gain entry into the United States to reduce illegal border crossings. "All of us have literally watched the young boy and his family being thrust in the limelight and for what they have gone through, we are really, really begging and asking for those who have powers in this country to be sympathetic," Nwokocha tells PEOPLE. "We know we need to enforce immigration laws of this country, but this is a family that entered the U.S. legally. They didn't run or jump the border. They came into the country legally. They have obeyed all the laws as it applies to them, and the government seems to be in a rush to get them out, and we still don't understand why." He adds: "They should have mercy. They should be compassionate and consider the humane qualities that this family has had to endure." President Donald Trump shut down the CBP One app on his first day back in office. Liam and his father were detained on Jan. 20 in the Minneapolis suburb of Columbia Heights by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers during a sweep in the city as they returned home from preschool. They were flown to a family detention center in Dilley, Texas, and remained there for nearly two weeks before a federal judge ordered they be released. Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Democrat who has been a vocal supporter of Liam and his family and picked them up from the Texas detention center on Jan. 31 and flew with them to Minnesota, decried the judge's decision, saying Liam and his family "never even got the chance to make their case before a judge." "It is wrong, cruel and cannot stand," Castro said on X, adding that he and his office are in touch with the family and their representatives. "We will keep fighting." Courtesy of Columbia Heights Public Schools Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat who represents Minnesota and met with Liam and his father when they returned to the state from Texas, called the judge's decision "beyond cruel and indefensible." "This decision must be overturned," she said in a statement on X on Wednesday evening. Images of Liam wearing a blue bunny hat and surrounded by ICE officers sparked outcry about the administration's approach to immigration enforcement. Liam and Arias' detention led to a protest at the Texas family detention center and spurred a visit from Texas lawmakers, including Castro and Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. In a statement, a spokesperson for his school district, Columbia Heights Public Schools, called the announcement "heartbreaking." Several students from the district and dozens of parents have been detained amid the immigration crackdown. "We understand that this decision will be appealed and remain hopeful for a positive outcome," the school district said, in part. "Our thoughts are with Liam and his family, and we will continue to advocate for and support Liam and all children."