Around the middle of Bad Bunny’s live NFL Super Bowl halftime performance, the Puerto Rican singer is seen handing a Grammy Award to a young Latino boy.
As he kneels down and rubs the boy’s head, he says: “Cree siempre en ti” (“always believe in yourself”). Almost immediately, rumors began spreading like wildfire on social media: the boy was none other than Liam Conejo Ramos, an immigrant who has made headlines in recent weeks.
While the concert was rife with symbolism and statement — this happens to not be true. A publicist for Bad Bunny told NPR Music that the little boy on stage was not Liam Conejo Ramos. A representative for the Conejo Ramos family also confirmed to Minnesota Public Radio that it was not the young boy.
Who is Liam Conejo Ramos?
Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his dad, Adrian Conejo, were detained by federal immigration agents on Jan. 20 at their Minneapolis driveway.
A photo taken of the boy carrying a Spider-Man backpack and wearing a blue bunny hat, went viral on social media, and has become one of the symbols of President Trump’s harsh immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.
Liam and his dad were sent to a detention center in Dilley, Texas, meant to hold families with minors. They were released earlier this month.
The family, which comes from Ecuador, is claiming asylum. The federal government, however, is pushing to end their asylum claims.
The Department of Homeland Security launched Operation Metro Surge in December, deploying nearly 3,000 federal immigration agents to Minnesota. It has led to hundreds of arrests, including of undocumented immigrants without criminal records, and the killing of two U.S. citizens by federal agents.
A concert filled with symbolism
Bad Bunny’s presence at the Super Bowl has been praised — and criticized — for being a predominantly Spanish-language concert, and because of his stance on Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign. During his acceptance speech at last week’s Grammy Awards, he stated “ICE out… we’re not savage We’re not animals. We’re not aliens. We are humans. And we are Americans.”
Sunday’s Super Bowl performance was filled with symbolism and contained several strong statements celebrating Latinos and immigrants in America, including when the singer said “God Bless America” and named all of the countries of North, Central, and South America.