US judge blocks deportation of unaccompanied Guatemalan children
A U.S. federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting unaccompanied Guatemalan children, including 10 minors aged 10–17 who had already been placed on planes.
The National Immigration Law Center filed an emergency motion early Sunday morning, prompting District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan to issue a 14-day restraining order halting removals. The ruling also applies to potentially hundreds of other Guatemalan minors in U.S. shelters under the Department of Health and Human Services, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Government lawyers confirmed that children who had boarded flights were taken off and returned to federal custody.
The deportation plan followed a new agreement between Washington and Guatemala to repatriate unaccompanied minors. President Donald Trump, who returned to the White House in January, has made immigration crackdowns a priority.
During the emergency hearing, Judge Sooknanan pressed the Justice Department for clarity on whether deportations had already taken place. DOJ attorney Drew Ensign acknowledged that one plane may have briefly taken off but said it returned after the court order.
The Guatemalan government has said it is cooperating with the U.S. on repatriations, though advocates argue the children’s return was not properly consented to.
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