Overview

• U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan issued a 14-day halt before dawn Sunday, grounding flights and returning 10 Guatemalan unaccompanied minors to Office of Refugee Resettlement custody.
• Her emergency order, prompted by filings from the National Immigration Law Center, extends to roughly 2,000 Guatemalan children currently in ORR care, according to court records.
• Court filings state the administration had identified up to about 600 Guatemalan children for removal under a pilot arrangement with Guatemala.
• Two days earlier, U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb found the nationwide expansion of expedited removal likely violates due process, warning the government’s position would endanger constitutional protections for everyone.
• The unaccompanied-minors case has been reassigned to U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly, as related litigation continues alongside recent appellate setbacks for the administration, including a Ninth Circuit ruling protecting Venezuelan beneficiaries.