01/22/2026
🖤 It’s time I stopped being silent. 🖤
Many of you know me through my photography, a place where I share light, moments, and connection. And I haven’t been very vocal here about social issues, even though many of them matter deeply to me.
I’ve stayed quiet, on my business page and even on my personal page, because this is personal for my family. My husband is an immigrant, and even though he is here legally and has followed every rule and law, the fear of speaking out has weighed on me. I’ve worried, what if my words here put him, or our children, at risk?
But what happened yesterday in Columbia Heights, Minnesota is something I cannot stay silent about any longer.
Reports show that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained at least four students in the Columbia Heights school district, including a 5-year-old boy, Liam Conejo Ramos, taken from his home after preschool alongside his father. Officials say the child was even used as “bait” to access the home, an account that has sparked outrage and concern across the community.
I literally cannot imagine what that child’s mother, or any parent, must be feeling right now. And when I think “that could be my son or my daughter,” it becomes impossible to stay quiet.
Even though we have done everything right, legal status, all the paperwork, following every rule, we still live with that fear:
What happens if our family is pulled over or targeted? What happens to our children then? Are they safe?
These are real questions. These are real fears. And they are the realities for far too many families right now.
This has gone way too far. We must care. We must wake up. We must speak up.
If you feel moved by this, whether it’s out of empathy, justice, or simple humanity, I hope you’ll take a moment to reflect, talk to others, and stand in support of families whose lives are being torn apart. ❤️