In a dramatic late-night intervention, a U.S. federal judge halted the Trump administration’s plan to deport a group of unaccompanied Guatemalan children already placed on planes for removal. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan issued a temporary restraining order early Sunday, following an emergency motion filed by the National Immigration Law Center. The order blocks deportations for 14 days and extends to potentially hundreds of Guatemalan minors currently in U.S. government shelters.
The case unfolded over a holiday weekend, with Justice Department attorneys confirming that some children had been boarded onto flights from Texas before being removed and returned to shelters under the judge’s directive. Advocates argued that deporting the children would violate federal protections for vulnerable minors, citing risks of abuse, neglect, or persecution in Guatemala. Among the plaintiffs was a 10-year-old indigenous girl whose mother had died and who had previously faced mistreatment from caretakers.
The Trump administration recently intensified its immigration crackdown, striking an agreement with Guatemala to repatriate unaccompanied children. While U.S. officials said the children’s parents had requested their return, advocates disputed this claim. White House aide Stephen Miller criticized the judge’s ruling as political interference, while Guatemala’s foreign ministry declined to comment. The ruling has temporarily halted what immigrant rights groups described as a clear violation of children’s legal protections.
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