The DHS attempt to to end asylum claims and expedite deportation proceedings against the family of Liam Conejo Ramos, the 5-year-old formerly detained with his father by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in Minneapolis, was delayed by a judge yesterday.

At an asylum hearing Friday, the family was granted a continuance, according to Kristen Stenvik, superintendent of Columbia Heights Public Schools, where Liam goes to school. Stenvik cited “a legal representative of the family” as the source of the information she shared.

The legal representative said the family expressed thanks for the outpouring of support, asked for prayers, and requested privacy, Stenvik added.

In a statement to MS NOW on Friday morning, Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, denied that the removal proceedings were being “expedited.”