Judge Stops Trump Government’s Plan to Remove Guatemalan Youth

A US judge has issued a temporary block on the Trump administration’s plan to deport dozens of unaccompanied Guatemalan children back to their home country. The decision followed reports that children were being put onto planes and faced risk of abuse and persecution in Guatemala. The children, who arrived in the US alone, are in government custody while their immigration claims are assessed. The Trump administration argued that the children were not being deported, but rather repatriated so they could be reunited with their families. The legal proceedings commenced after immigrant advocacy groups requested an emergency injunction to prevent approximately 600 children from being put on planes in Texas and deported. District Court Judge Sparkle Sooknanan, nominated by former President Joe Biden, issued a temporary restraining order, which expanded to cover all unaccompanied children at risk of deportation for a period of 14 days. At the hearing, Judge Sooknanan sought assurances from the Trump administration lawyers that planes had not departed with the children on board. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign stated that all planes were “on the ground” in the US and that one plane had taken off but returned. Ensign claimed that the flights were not part of a deportation effort but for family reunifications with parents and other relatives in Guatemala. However, advocacy groups disputed this claim in some cases. Lawyers for the children argued that the action violated federal laws designed to protect children who arrive in the US alone. They claimed that some of the children had pending cases before immigration judges and expressed legitimate fears about being returned. Efrén C Olivares of the National Immigration Law Center, which filed the lawsuit, expressed relief that the court prevented this potential injustice. White House immigration advisor Stephen Miller criticized the judge for blocking the flights, stating that the minors had self-reported their parents’ presence in Guatemala and accused the judge of preventing reunification with their parents. Since the beginning of his second term, Trump has prioritized the removal of undocumented migrants, a campaign promise that garnered widespread support. In June, the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of Trump’s ability to resume deportations of migrants to countries other than their homeland without considering the risks they might face.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy59ppq522o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss