A rumor circulating on social media that the young boy who appeared with Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny during the NFL Super Bowl halftime show was immigrant child Liam Conejo Ramos is false, representatives for both parties confirmed.
The speculation began after viewers saw Bad Bunny hand a Grammy Award to a Latino boy during the live performance and tell him, “Cree siempre en ti” (“always believe in yourself”). Posts quickly identified the child as Liam, a 5-year-old who recently drew public attention following his detention by federal immigration agents.
A publicist for Bad Bunny told NPR Music that the boy on stage was not Liam. A representative for the Conejo Ramos family also confirmed to Minnesota Public Radio that the child in the performance was not the same person.
Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo, were detained by federal immigration agents on Jan. 20 at their driveway in Minneapolis. Authorities transferred them to a family detention center in Dilley, Texas, before releasing them earlier this month.
The family, originally from Ecuador, is seeking asylum, while the federal government is attempting to terminate their claims.
A photo showing Liam wearing a blue bunny hat and carrying a Spider-Man backpack circulated widely online and became associated with protests against immigration enforcement in Minnesota.
The Department of Homeland Security launched Operation Metro Surge in December, deploying nearly 3,000 federal immigration agents to Minnesota. The operation has resulted in hundreds of arrests, including undocumented immigrants without criminal records.
Bad Bunny’s halftime appearance drew attention for its use of Spanish and references to Latino identity and immigration. During his acceptance speech at the Grammy Awards the previous week, the singer criticized immigration enforcement and said, “ICE out… we’re not savage. We’re not animals. We’re not aliens. We are humans. And we are Americans.”
The halftime performance included several segments highlighting Latino culture and references to countries across the Americas.