Judge Halts Trump Plan for Child Repatriations

Clear Facts

• A federal judge appointed by President Biden blocked the Trump administration from flying out nearly 700 unaccompanied minors to Guatemala over Labor Day weekend after advocacy groups filed an emergency lawsuit.
• The Trump administration described the effort as lawful reunifications with parents or guardians in Guatemala, but a U.S. District Judge issued an order halting the program as children were already boarding planes in Texas.
• The legal battle leaves these minors in the U.S. for now, as Guatemalan officials confirm they are ready to receive the children.

A Biden-appointed federal judge has stopped the Trump administration’s attempt to send hundreds of illegal alien children to Guatemala. The decision came after immigrant advocacy groups quickly filed a lawsuit, arguing the effort was a mass deportation hidden from the public.

The order by U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan froze the program right as children were about to board planes in Harlingen and El Paso.

Justice Department lawyer Drew Ensign told the court,

“These are not removals under the statute. These are repatriations. All of these children have parents or guardians in Guatemala who have requested their return.”

National Immigration Law Center attorney Efrén Olivares responded,

“It is a dark and dangerous moment when our government chooses to target orphaned 10-year-olds.”

The advocacy lawsuit accuses the Trump administration of avoiding protections established in a 2008 law for minors. Key government officials, including Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, were named as defendants in the suit.

Judge Sooknanan expressed concern about the timing, saying during the hearing:

“I have the government attempting to remove minor children from the country in the wee hours of the morning on a holiday weekend, which is surprising, but here we are.”

The Trump administration maintains the flights are legitimate reunification efforts coordinated with Guatemala’s government. Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo called receiving the children a “moral and legal obligation.”

For now, the children are still in the United States while courts determine the outcome of the case. Guatemalan families continue to wait at airports, hoping to welcome these minors home.

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