A US District Court Judge has put a temporary halt to an attempt by the Trump administration to deport dozens of unaccompanied Guatemalan children back to their home country. On Sunday, Judge Sparkle Sooknanan issued an order in response to alarming reports that children were being prepared for flights to Guatemala, where legal representatives argued they faced significant risks of abuse and persecution.
The unaccompanied children, who arrived in the United States alone, are currently in government custody while their immigration claims are being assessed. Lawyers representing the US Justice Department contended that these children were not being deported but were instead being repatriated to reunite with family members. However, this assertion has been met with skepticism from advocacy groups.
The legal proceedings were initiated early on Sunday when immigrant advocacy organizations sought an emergency injunction. They claimed that approximately 600 children could be placed on planes in Texas and forcibly deported. In a swift response, Judge Sooknanan issued a temporary restraining order that prevented officials from sending a group of ten migrant children, aged between 10 and 17, back to Guatemala. This order was later expanded to protect all unaccompanied children at risk of deportation, remaining in effect for 14 days.
During a hastily organized hearing on Sunday afternoon, Judge Sooknanan, who was nominated by former President Joe Biden, questioned lawyers from the Trump administration about the status of the flights. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign assured the judge that all planes were grounded in the United States, although he mentioned that one flight had taken off but returned shortly thereafter. Ensign maintained that the purpose of the flights was to facilitate family reunifications, not deportations, with requests reportedly coming from the Guatemalan government and the children’s relatives.
Despite these claims, advocacy groups have contested their accuracy. In court documents, lawyers representing the children argued that the administration's actions violated federal laws aimed at protecting children who arrive in the United States alone. They highlighted that several children had pending cases before immigration judges and expressed credible fears regarding their potential return to Guatemala.
Efrén C. Olivares of the National Immigration Law Center, which filed the suit, criticized the Trump administration for its actions. He stated, "In the dead of night on a holiday weekend, the Trump administration ripped vulnerable, frightened children from their beds and attempted to return them to danger in Guatemala. We are heartened the court prevented this injustice from occurring before hundreds of children suffered irreparable harm."
The ruling has drawn criticism from White House immigration advisor Stephen Miller, who took to social media platform X to express his discontent. "The minors have all self-reported that their parents are back home in Guatemala," he asserted, "But a Democrat judge is refusing to let them reunify with their parents." This conflict underscores the broader political tensions surrounding immigration policy.
Since the beginning of his second term, Trump has implemented extensive measures aimed at removing undocumented migrants, a pivotal promise that garnered substantial support during his campaign. In June, the US Supreme Court cleared the way for Trump to resume deportations of migrants to countries other than their homeland, without allowing them the opportunity to raise concerns about the dangers they might face upon return.
