Overview

• U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan expanded an initial order shielding 10 plaintiffs to cover Guatemalan unaccompanied minors in federal custody who lack final removal orders.
• The Justice Department reported children were deplaned and are being returned to Office of Refugee Resettlement care after planes prepared to depart from Harlingen and El Paso, with one flight returning to the ground.
• The National Immigration Law Center and the Young Center sued, arguing the plan violates the TVPRA and INA by denying required screening and access to immigration judges.
• Government lawyers described the action as repatriations to reunify children with relatives in Guatemala, while expedited court hearings are set and related cases proceed in other districts.
• Advocates say more than 600 children were targeted under a pilot with Guatemala, Senator Ron Wyden warned the total could approach 700, and HHS reports roughly 2,000 minors in its care overall.