Photo: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images/AFP via Getty Images
Bad Bunny giving one of his Grammys to a little boy was one of the most moving moments in his Super Bowl halftime performance — and not just because the kid was absolutely adorable. As Variety (and many people on social media) noted, the child “certainly resembled Liam, the 5-year-old who was incarcerated by ICE in Minneapolis last month.”
A photo of Liam Conejo Ramos went viral when masked ICE agents detained him and his father. School officials accused the agents of using the boy, who was wearing a Spider-Man backpack and a blue bunny hat, as “bait” to lure other people from his house. While the father and son recently returned home from a Texas detention center after a judge ordered their release, they were in the news again on Friday because the federal government filed a motion to expedite their deportation.
But the boy in the show wasn’t actually Liam. A week ago, child actor Lincoln Fox, who is also 5, posted that he “booked a cool gig,” and on Sunday night he revealed that he performed at the Super Bowl, writing, “@badbunnypr – it was my truest honor.”
Lincoln’s account reposted a reel arguing that the boy was supposed to represent Bad Bunny, adding the caption, “Finally someone got it right!!! Little @the_lincfox IS little Benito.” They also posted a reel showing Lincoln was recreating an outfit Bad Bunny wore as a child:
It’s easy to see why many people read the scene as as a protest against the Trump administration’s immigration policies. The family was watching Bad Bunny at the Grammys last weekend, and he began one of his acceptance speeches by saying, “Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say, ICE out.”
But it seems the moment was more about Bad Bunny fulfilling a childhood dream and inspiring a younger generation, not a response to Liam’s detention.
It’s also extremely unlikely that Liam Ramos would appear on a TV event watched by millions of people right now. The family told NBC News that they have been in hiding since reuniting in Minneapolis last week. But they did get a bit of good news on Friday. The family’s attorney, Danielle Molliver, told CNN that a judge granted a continuance that postpones their asylum case to a later date, rather than expediting their deportation.
“We’re grateful for the outpouring from the community and we remain committed to the family and this community,” Molliver said.
This post has been updated to include the reels posted by Lincoln’s account.
