In a dramatic intervention just hours before deportation flights were set to depart, a U.S. federal judge issued a sweeping emergency order halting the removal of unaccompanied Guatemalan minors some of whom had already boarded planes.
Late Saturday, lawyers with the National Immigration Law Center filed an emergency motion in Washington, D.C., citing urgent concerns that vulnerable children were about to be sent back to their home country without due process. Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan, awakened in the early hours, swiftly responded with a 14-day temporary restraining order. Her ruling applies not just to the initial ten children named in the lawsuit, but broadly to all Guatemalan minors held in federal custody.
Government attorneys confirmed that the children, some of whom were already on tarmacs in Harlingen, Texas, were being removed from aircraft and returned to U.S. government shelters. Authorities explained that many of the minors’ parents had requested reunification—a claim contested by lawyers, who argue that no proper legal process was followed.
Advocates emphasized that the removals violated established legal protections, including the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act and immigration statutes that guarantee minors the right to hearings and asylum proceedings. Some of the children cited past abuse, neglect, or abandonment in Guatemala and voiced fear at the thought of returning.
Judge Sooknanan expressed deep concern over the timing and secrecy of the operation, noting it occurred over a holiday weekend and essentially blindsided legal advocates. “Absent action by the courts, all of those children would have been returned to Guatemala, potentially to very dangerous situations,” she remarked.
As of now, the minors remain in U.S. custody while the legal fight continues. A hearing has been scheduled for early September to determine whether this pause will be extended or if a more permanent resolution can be found.
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