US Judge Halts Government Move to Deport Unaccompanied Guatemalan Minors

A United States judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting unaccompanied Guatemalan children for at least two weeks, in what is seen as a significant legal setback to the government’s ongoing anti-immigration drive. The emergency order was issued on Sunday by District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan in Washington, DC, after a complaint was filed by the National Immigration Law Center, a pro-immigrant advocacy group. Reports had surfaced that some Guatemalan children, aged between 10 and 17, had already been placed onto planes at a Texas airport and were being readied for deportation.

Initially, Judge Sooknanan’s order applied to a group of ten children identified in the petition, but she later expanded it to cover all Guatemalan minors who entered the US without parents or guardians. In doing so, she emphasized that she wanted no ambiguity regarding the scope of her decision. The judge also advanced a scheduled hearing to Sunday after reports indicated that some deportations might proceed during the Labor Day holiday weekend.

Legal experts noted that the Trump administration would almost certainly appeal the ruling quickly, possibly as early as Monday, in an effort to restart repatriation flights. According to Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher, the administration was eager to begin deportations soon, following a recent agreement with the Guatemalan government to accept the children. Guatemala’s Foreign Minister, Carlos Martinez, confirmed on Friday that his country was prepared to receive hundreds of children currently in the US.

However, immigrant rights groups argue that deporting unaccompanied minors violates clear legal protections established by the US Congress to safeguard vulnerable children. According to the National Immigration Law Center, the children should be under the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Instead, the US government was accused of unlawfully transferring them to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in order to facilitate deportations. Rights advocates warn that these children could face serious risks if returned, including abuse, neglect, persecution, or even torture in Guatemala.

The legal clash comes against the backdrop of the Trump administration’s broader hardline stance on immigration. Since the start of Trump’s second term in January, his government has sought to expand mass deportations of both refugees and immigrants. Previous measures have included sending large numbers of people to detention centers, including a notorious prison in El Salvador. Yet, these actions have frequently encountered legal roadblocks, slowing down or halting implementation.

The administration’s crackdown has also been marred by mistakes. One prominent case involved Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man legally residing in Maryland. Despite his legal status, he was mistakenly deported in March. Once in El Salvador, Garcia was severely beaten and subjected to psychological torture in prison. His lawyers now argue that he fears further persecution if the Trump administration proceeds with its plan to deport him to Uganda, another country he has no ties to. Garcia is currently seeking asylum in the US to avoid additional harm.

The unfolding legal and humanitarian crisis highlights the tension between the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration agenda and established legal protections for vulnerable groups, particularly unaccompanied minors. The temporary block granted by Judge Sooknanan underscores the judiciary’s role in checking executive overreach, though the battle over child deportations is expected to continue in higher courts.