Court steps in after lawyers warn of unlawful removals
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Sunday blocked the Trump administration from deporting Guatemalan minors, granting an emergency order after attorneys argued that the government was rushing to place the children on flights out of the country.
Ten minors named in suit, ruling extends to all in custody
The petition was filed on behalf of 10 children between 10 and 17 years old, who, according to their lawyers, were just hours away from being flown to Guatemala late Saturday. Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan halted their removal for 14 days and directed that they remain in the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). She underlined that the order covered every unaccompanied Guatemalan child currently held by U.S. authorities.
Government claims reunification, advocates dispute
Attorneys for the Justice Department maintained the children were being returned to parents or guardians. Lawyers for the minors countered that no such reunification had been requested in many cases. Sooknanan said she was presented with “sharply different versions of events” and noted that the administration’s statements did not align with evidence submitted by the children’s advocates.
Nationwide pushback and signs of deportation preparations
Parallel lawsuits have also been filed in federal courts in Arizona and Illinois, highlighting a widening legal fight over the administration’s plans. Meanwhile, at an airport in Harlingen, Texas, buses carrying migrants moved onto the tarmac, journalists were kept behind security lines, and aircraft crews made final checks, indicating preparations for removal flights even as the judge’s order was handed down.
