A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Trump’s administration from deporting dozens of Guatemalan children, escalating tensions in his aggressive immigration crackdown.
On Sunday, 76 unaccompanied minors, who crossed the U.S. border alone, faced removal on three planes in Texas. The dramatic scene unfolded in early morning hours when U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan issued an emergency order, halting the deportations.
Reports indicate one plane may have briefly taken off before returning. The children, aged 10 to 17, waited anxiously during an emergency hearing to determine their fate. “Imagine the fear these children felt, not knowing where they’re going or what’s next,” said Efrén Olivares, an attorney with National Immigration Law Center, which filed the lawsuit.
He questioned the secrecy of the operation, noting, “If this was lawful, why move kids at 2 or 3 a.m. under cover of darkness?”
The Trump administration, led by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, claims the effort aimed to reunite children with families in Guatemala, per requests from their government and relatives. Miller, a key figure behind Trump’s earlier family separation policy, criticized the Biden-appointed judge, alleging she blocked family reunifications. However, attorneys for the children argue some minors did not wish to return and could face danger, including abuse or persecution, in Guatemala.
Guatemala’s government expressed willingness to work with U.S. to reunite children with families, but only after ensuring due process.
The children, now back in U.S. shelters under the Office of Refugee Resettlement, await further legal proceedings. The judge’s order, effective for 14 days, protects hundreds of unaccompanied Guatemalan minors in custody, citing violations of federal laws like the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act.
“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,” Efrén C Olivares of the National Immigration Law Center, which filed the suit, said in a statement.
“We are heartened the court prevented this injustice from occurring before hundreds of children suffered irreparable harm.”
White House immigration advisor Stephen Miller criticised the judge for blocking the flights.
“The minors have all self-reported that their parents are back home in Guatemala,” he wrote on X. “But a Democrat judge is refusing to let them reunify with their parents.”
This ruling marks another setback for Trump’s immigration agenda, following a separate court decision blocking rapid deportations. Legal battles continue as advocates emphasize the children’s right to immigration hearings.
