WASHINGTON — A federal judge has stepped in to protect ten unaccompanied migrant children from being deported to Guatemala, halting the Trump administration’s plan just hours before it could take place.
The emergency ruling came on Sunday after lawyers from the National Immigration Law Center filed a last-minute complaint. The children, all between the ages of 10 and 17, were reportedly already in the process of being removed when the order was issued.
Judge Sparkle Sooknanan, based in Washington, D.C., immediately blocked the deportations for 14 days and called for an urgent hearing. “The risk to these children is too great to ignore,” the advocacy groups argued.
The Trump administration had struck a deal with Guatemala to allow the return of unaccompanied minors, with plans to start deportations over the weekend. This move was part of a wider immigration crackdown launched after Trump’s return to the White House in January.
By law, children who arrive in the US without parents or guardians are considered unaccompanied minors. They are supposed to be placed in federal shelters before being reunited with relatives or foster families. Advocacy groups stressed that deporting them directly violated those protections.
A complaint filed by the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights warned of grave consequences. If sent back, the children could face abuse, neglect, persecution, or even torture—placing them in immediate danger.
Internal emails also revealed that officials had ordered staff to halt the release of Guatemalan children to anyone except parents or legal guardians in the US. This raised further alarm that children would be fast-tracked into deportation flights.
The Department of Homeland Security and Guatemala’s foreign ministry have not issued comments.
Judge Sooknanan, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, made clear that the protections for vulnerable children under US law cannot be bypassed.
For now, these ten children remain safe in the United States—but their future still hangs in the balance.
