Minneapolis, Minnesota - US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents reportedly detained a five-year-old preschooler when he came home from school and used him as "bait" to see if anybody else was inside his home.

After picking up his son from school in Minneapolis on Tuesday, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias and his five-year-old, Liam Conejo Ramos, were detained by ICE and shipped off to a camp in Texas, the Washington Post reports.

The child was reportedly taken from his father's car when they arrived home and made to knock on his front door.

According to Zena Stenvik, the superintendent of Liam's school district, the ICE agents intended to "see if anyone else was home – essentially using a five-year-old as bait."

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Stenvik revealed that she had arrived on the scene shortly after hearing about what was going on, only to find the family's car still running in the driveway.

A second adult, who lived in the home but was not detained, apparently "begged" ICE to leave Liam with them instead of sending him off to a detention camp, but the request was refused.

"Why detain a five-year-old?" Stenvik said during a press conference. "You cannot tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal."

According to school officials, Liam is but one of four of their students who have been detained by ICE over the last two weeks.

Marc Prokosch, a lawyer representing the family, said that while they are not US citizens, they "have been following the legal process perfectly, from presenting themselves at the border to applying for asylum and waiting."

Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin excused the capture as a "targeted operation" and accused the father of "abandoning his child" by attempting to flee.