A U.S. federal judge has temporarily blocked the administration of President Donald Trump from deporting unaccompanied Guatemalan children, halting removals for at least the next two weeks amid the government’s hardline immigration crackdown.
The emergency order, issued Sunday by District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan in Washington, D.C., came in response to a complaint filed by the National Immigration Law Center on behalf of 10 children aged between 10 and 17.
Reports emerged that some minors had already been placed on planes at a Texas airport when the ruling was handed down. Initially limited to the group named in the petition, Sooknanan later expanded the order to cover all unaccompanied Guatemalan children in U.S. custody.
The flurry of legal activity came just days after U.S. media reported that the Trump administration was preparing to begin child deportations to Guatemala over the weekend, following a bilateral agreement with the Central American country.
“I do not want there to be any ambiguity,” the judge said, stressing that her decision applied broadly to all affected minors.
Sooknanan also expedited a hearing on the case after reports surfaced that some deportations were being carried out during the Labor Day holiday weekend.
Speaking from Washington, Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher said it was “almost certain that the Trump administration will take this to a higher court very quickly, possibly first thing on Monday”.
The U.S. government is expected to push to restart repatriation flights as soon as possible.
