On Friday, a senior official from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) dismissed what he described as a “false narrative” surrounding a recent incident involving a 5-year-old child in Minnesota. He also condemned the actions of an anti-ICE group that recently disrupted a church gathering, labeling them as anything but peaceful.

This week, a photo depicting a young child next to a black vehicle gained widespread attention following an ICE operation in the Minneapolis area. According to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security, the child was “abandoned” by his father and was not the target of federal immigration authorities.

Marcos Charles, ICE’s Executive Assistant Director of Enforcement and Removal Operations, expressed disappointment over the situation on Friday. “It’s disappointing to see politicians and activists instilling fear by promoting a false narrative about our agency, our mission, and those we arrest,” Charles stated.

The viral image shows a child standing beside a vehicle during the ICE operation. (Columbia Heights Public Schools)

Charles recounted the incident, saying, “One of our officers remained with the child while others apprehended his father. Following the arrest, our officers cared for the child, even taking him for a meal at a drive-through and spending hours ensuring his well-being. This was done by our officers, not by his father,” he emphasized.

“Our officers made every effort to reunite the child with his family,” Charles continued. “Tragically, when we attempted to return him to his residence, the individuals inside refused to open the door and accept him. Let me reiterate: they saw the young boy and chose not to let him in,” he concluded.

“This is the human side of the job that my officers do. They are family men and women. They have children of their own. They sacrifice everything for their families. I know for a fact that they were heartbroken to see the child’s own family leave him behind. Fortunately, [Adrian Alexander] Conejo Arias eventually requested that his child stay with him,” he added. 

“We do everything in our power not to separate families. So, they took him back together … to the ICE facility for processing. And now they are being well cared for at a family residential center, pending their immigration proceedings,” Charles concluded. “This is the real face of ICE ERO, Border Patrol and our allied partners. The media doesn’t know our officers, we do. My officers do the right thing no matter how difficult or how long it takes throughout the day.”

Federal authorities arrested Chauntyll Allen, leader of Black Lives Matter Twin Cities, left; William Kelly, center; and Nekima Levy-Armstrong, Racial Justice Network leader, right, after a mob invaded a St. Paul, Minn., church, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (Department of Homeland Security)

Charles also spoke out against the behavior of an anti-ICE mob that stormed a church in St. Paul earlier this week. 

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced multiple arrests in relation to that incident Thursday, including Nekima Levy Armstrong, whom Bondi said, “allegedly played a key role in organizing the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.”

“Federal law protects the freedom of religion and the right to worship without interference. What these agitators did was not a peaceful protest,” Charles said Friday. “They rioted at church services. They screamed and harassed children. They denied Minnesotans the ability to worship peacefully.

A protester, left, and a federal law enforcement officer argue outside a house Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn.  (Yuki Iwamura/AP)

“I’ve been in law enforcement for 33 years now, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen a protest in a church where they’re harassing individuals trying to peacefully worship. It’s disturbing to know that these individuals would target sacred spaces and viciously harass innocent families. Sacred spaces must be respected.”