Federal Judge Blocks Deportation of 76 Guatemalan Minors Amid Urgent Legal Challenge
Federal Judge Blocks Deportation of 76 Guatemalan Minors Amid Urgent Legal Challenge
A federal judge on Sunday issued an emergency order, halting the Trump administration’s efforts to deport 76 unaccompanied Guatemalan children from the United States. U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan intervened after a lawsuit was filed, questioning the government’s argument for the immediate repatriation of the minors.
The dramatic turn of events unfolded on a holiday weekend, with the judge moving an emergency hearing to 12:30 p.m. Sunday after being notified that the Guatemalan children were “in the process of being removed from the U.S.” Judge Sooknanan’s order explicitly directed the defendants to “cease any ongoing efforts to transfer, repatriate, remove, or otherwise facilitate the transport of any Plaintiff or member of the putative class from the United States.”
All 76 children, who had reportedly been deplaned for deportation, were in the process of being returned to the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) by Sunday evening, according to Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign. The government committed to notifying the court once their transfer was confirmed.
Attorney Efrén Olivares, representing the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) which filed the lawsuit, had urged the judge to continue the hearing until all children were confirmed deplaned, citing past instances of confusion leading to “irreparable harm.”
During the hearing, Judge Sooknanan expressed skepticism regarding the legality of the administration’s actions. “We are here on a holiday weekend where I have the government attempting to remove unaccompanied minors from the country in the wee hours of the morning on a holiday weekend, which is surprising, but here we are,” she stated.
Ensign argued that the administration was acting lawfully at the request of the Guatemalan government and the children’s legal guardians. However, Olivares strongly disagreed, asserting that some children feared returning to Guatemala, had no parents there, or had not requested repatriation. NILC believes more than 600 Guatemalan children could be at risk of similar removal.
Court filings accuse the Trump administration of attempting to repatriate unaccompanied Guatemalan minors without granting them the opportunity to challenge the removals, in violation of federal laws. Many of these children, often indigenous and speaking rare languages, are considered particularly vulnerable to being misled by officials. The lawsuit highlights the case of a 10-year-old indigenous girl who suffered abuse and neglect and fears returning.
NILC stated that the administration is denying these children their basic legal right to present their case before an immigration judge, vowing to use every legal tool to ensure the law is respected.
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