Particle.news
Download on the App Store
6 ARTICLES
·
14h ago

Judge Extends Block on Trump Plan to Deport Guatemalan Unaccompanied Children

The brief extension gives the court time to assess disputed government claims over parental consent.

People wait for loved ones from Guatemala deported from the United States outside La Aurora International Airport, in Guatemala City, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Migrant boys spend time in a recreation area outside Casa Padre, an immigrant shelter for unaccompanied minors, in Brownsville, Texas, U.S., June 23, 2018. REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File Photo
Image
A judge extended a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration's effort to remove Guatemalan and Honduran children living in shelters or foster care after coming to the U.S. alone.

Overview

  • U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly kept a temporary order in place through Sept. 16 that prevents the government from removing Guatemalan minors in federal care unless an immigration judge has already ordered their removal.
  • During a Sept. 10 hearing, the Justice Department withdrew an earlier assertion that all parents had requested returns after a Guatemalan attorney general’s report showed many families could not be reached or did not want their children sent back.
  • ORR initially flagged 457 Guatemalan children as potentially appropriate for reunification, later narrowing the list to 327, and a predawn Aug. 31 operation moved 76 youths onto planes before a judge halted the flights.
  • Advocates warn the effort may expand to Honduran and Salvadoran children and report missing immigration court calendar entries for some cases, while a DOJ lawyer said there were no immediate plans for removals beyond Guatemala.
  • Separate judges in Arizona and Illinois issued temporary orders shielding children in those states, and ORR sent Aug. 31 “DEMAND FOR COMPLIANCE” letters to facilities that advocates say created confusion over legal obligations.