Overview

• A 4 a.m. emergency order stopped pre-dawn flights after federal authorities moved unaccompanied minors from ORR shelters onto buses and planes in Texas, with at least 76 children placed on aircraft before they were returned to custody.
• Court declarations from teens describe being woken at night, taken to airports in Harlingen and El Paso, and experiencing fear and trauma, with several stating they have pending immigration cases and fear harm if returned.
• The administration argues the actions were repatriations requested by Guatemala and parents, but an internal report from Guatemala’s attorney general’s office reviewed by Reuters and AP shows many families opposed returns and some felt pressured.
• Records indicate the scope expanded from youths nearing 18 to a broader list of 609 children ages 14–17, with advocates and a U.S. senator warning total removals could reach about 700, and at least one Arizona court separately blocked removals of 53 minors.
• Judge Sparkle Sooknanan’s temporary restraining order runs through Sept. 14, the case is now before Judge Timothy Kelly, and a Sept. 10 hearing will consider a longer injunction as lawyers argue TVPRA and related safeguards were bypassed.