Photographer Threatens Legal Action Over Viral Image Use

A photographer, Ali Daniels, who captured a viral image, is considering legal action against a super PAC backing Democratic Senate candidate Angie Craig. The image, which became widely recognized, showed 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, during a detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The photograph features the young boy with a Spider-Man backpack and a blue hat with bunny ears.

Daniels’s photograph gained attention for capturing a poignant moment involving federal immigration procedures. The controversy arose because the super PAC used this image in support of Angie Craig without Daniels’s permission, prompting her to threaten a lawsuit.

The photo was originally taken on a January day, when protests erupted at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, where Liam was initially held. The image became a symbol of anger and frustration against ICE policies, resonating with many who oppose these detentions.