Overview

• Federal Judge Sparkle Sooknanan in Washington imposed a 14-day injunction covering all unaccompanied Guatemalan minors in U.S. care who lack enforceable removal orders.
• Flights prepared to carry the children were grounded or diverted, and those already boarded were returned to shelters and agency custody.
• Child‑rights attorneys and the National Center for Youth Law filed an emergency challenge arguing the planned removals violated legal protections and put children at risk while immigration cases proceed.
• A Justice Department attorney characterized the effort as parent–child reunification rather than deportation, a framing disputed by advocates.
• Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo said the country could accept up to 150 unaccompanied minors per week as the U.S. legal fight continues.