ICE moves to deport Guatemalan children despite judge’s order

[wing2000]

The Trump administration on Sunday pushed to deport 10 unaccompanied migrant children to Guatemala, their country of origin, hours after a federal judge in Washington temporarily blocked the government from pursuing the action.

The order, issued Sunday morning by Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, temporarily forbade the administration from deporting the children for 14 days. It came after the National Immigration Law Center filed an urgent request in federal court on behalf of the children, who are between the ages of 10 and 17 and in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

“It is a dark and dangerous moment for this country when our government chooses to target orphaned 10-year-olds and denies them their most basic legal right to present their case before an immigration judge,” Olivares (attorney) added.

https://wapo.st/47SlsjY

 

[Vambram]

But there is a new and even more disturbing layer to the story. The government of Guatemala has now formally requested that these children be returned home.
These minors are not “stateless,” nor are they abandoned. All have self-reported that their parents live in Guatemala, and the Guatemalan government is publicly asking for their reunification.

Still, Democrats and their allies in the courts are refusing to let them go.
This is not a question of children being left without guardians. Guatemala has agreed to take responsibility.

The reality is that these children were smuggled into the United States, often at the hands of cartels, and wound up stranded in federal custody.
Now, instead of being sent back to their families, they are trapped in American shelters.

UPDATE: Guatemala Requests Migrant Children Back - But Biden Judge Blocks Reunification to Keep Children Trapped at American Shelters | The Gateway Pundit | by Gregory Lyakhov

These children were smuggled into the United States, often at the hands of cartels, and wound up stranded in federal custody.

www.thegatewaypundit.com

 

[Tuur]

But there is a new and even more disturbing layer to the story. The government of Guatemala has now formally requested that these children be returned home.

This. There's a case I know of where the minor held by ICE wants to return to Guatemala to his sister. Now, there's something sketchy about this particular incident, such as why there was a years-old warrant for removal that was discovered after a standard check for outstanding warrants related to different issue, but the family had already gone on record as saying he wants our of detention and to be in Guatemala with his sister.

 

[wing2000]

The government of Guatemala has now formally requested that these children be returned home.

If the deportations were legal, why is the Trump Administration truing to deport them on a Sunday morning?

Judge:
“I have the government attempting to remove minor children from the country in the wee hours of the morning on a holiday weekend, which is surprising,” she said.

The government’s lawyer, Drew Ensign, said that the repatriations had been requested by the Guatemalan government and that the children were to be reunited with parents and guardians in their home country.

“The United States government is trying to facilitate the return of these children to their parents or guardians, from whom they have been separated,” Mr. Ensign said.

But Efrén Olivares, the lawyer representing the children, disputed that argument. At least some of the children “have not requested to return,” he said. “They don’t want to return.”

He added that the law prevents children from being removed expeditiously from the United States until a judge has assessed the safety of their return. Many of the children have cases that are still pending, he said.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/31/us/politics/trump-deportations-judge-guatemala-children.html?smid=url-share

 

[Richard T]

I am going to call out Fox News on this one. Their reporting has too many holes in the story. I am tempted to guess that one parent or relative might by in Guatemala, while at least some kids have a parent or relative here. So out of haste, ICE just sends them off. We better make sure that each child is processed correctly and that their best interests are served. Could be the reason that some fled to the USA was so that they could escape abuse. Even a small percentage of this occurring is worth some evaluation and court hearing the case. Part of the issue with ICE is that they are too gung ho. I do not trust the Guatemala government for evaluating child welfare cases there. That even if there is a parent there advocating for their return, the environment and case needs some examination.