Overview

• The pilot, described as unprecedented, identifies more than 600 Guatemalan minors in HHS custody for return in coordination with Guatemala.
• Administration officials frame the planned removals as repatriations or voluntary departures rather than deportations.
• Child-welfare experts warn many children do not have lawyers or full understanding of consent, noting immigration judges serve as a safeguard when voluntary departure is chosen.
• Legal advocates argue that blocking releases to U.S. sponsors based on nationality would violate federal law requiring ORR to place children with appropriate sponsors without unnecessary delay.
• Since Trump’s return to office, authorities have added release hurdles, accelerated immigration procedures, and interviewed some children about leaving, as federal data show roughly 2,000 minors in care and average stays rising to 187 days in July.