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9h ago

Judges Halt Guatemalan Child Flights and Block Expanded Expedited Removal

The orders underscore judicial enforcement of due process for unaccompanied minors following emergency filings that alleged grave risks.

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
The facade of Guatemala's Returnee Reception Center at the Guatemalan Air Force Base in Guatemala City on August 31, 2025.
A transport van with migrants onboard departs the Valley International Airport, in Harlingen, Texas, on Sunday, August 31, 2025.

Overview

  • U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan issued a 14-day emergency order early Sunday that stopped planes carrying unaccompanied Guatemalan children from departing.
  • Ten children were taken off aircraft in Harlingen, Texas, and returned to Office of Refugee Resettlement custody, with the order extending protections to roughly 2,000 Guatemalan minors in ORR care.
  • Attorneys filed new declarations and sought a preliminary injunction on Wednesday, describing an attempted overnight removal of 76 children and detailing accounts from minors, parents, and advocates.
  • Court filings state the administration identified up to about 600 Guatemalan children for a repatriation pilot with Guatemala, while government lawyers told the court the removals were conducted under law and at the request of Guatemalan officials and some guardians.
  • In a separate decision on Friday, U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb enjoined the nationwide expansion of expedited removal after finding likely violations of immigrants’ due process rights.