U.S. District Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan issued an emergency order halting the Trump administration’s attempt to deport nearly 700 unaccompanied Guatemalan children, some already loaded onto planes at Valley International Airport in Harlingen, Texas. The ruling, delivered during a hastily convened hearing over the Labor Day weekend, came as lawyers for the children argued that the government’s actions violated U.S. laws protecting vulnerable migrant minors, potentially sending them back to dangerous situations in Guatemala. The temporary restraining order, effective for at least 14 days, ensures these children remain in U.S. custody while legal proceedings unfold.
The controversy erupted when advocates, including the National Immigration Law Center, filed an emergency lawsuit in Washington, D.C., claiming the Trump administration was rushing to deport the children without due process. Many of these minors, aged 10 to 17, had crossed the U.S. border alone and were being held in shelters managed by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement. The government insisted the effort was a “repatriation” to reunite the children with parents or guardians in Guatemala, a claim disputed by attorneys who cited cases where families had not requested such returns. One 16-year-old girl, an honors student in New York, expressed fear of deportation, while others reported past abuse or threats in Guatemala.
The scene at Harlingen airport was chaotic, with approximately 50 children, identifiable by their shelter-issued colored clothing, escorted toward planes in the predawn hours. Five charter buses arrived post-hearing to return the children to shelters, following Sooknanan’s firm directive to halt all deportations of Guatemalan unaccompanied minors. The judge, woken at 2:30 a.m. to address the crisis, expressed frustration at the government’s attempt to move the children “in the wee hours” of a holiday weekend, emphasizing that her order applied broadly to protect all such minors in U.S. custody. Similar legal challenges emerged in Arizona and Illinois, reflecting widespread alarm among immigrant advocates.
Also Read: Trump Cancels Quad Summit Visit? Tensions with PM Modi Reach Boiling Point
The Trump administration’s plan, part of a broader immigration crackdown, drew parallels to a March 2025 incident where a judge failed to stop the deportation of Venezuelans to El Salvador. This time, Sooknanan’s intervention ensured compliance, with government lawyer Drew Ensign confirming that any plane that may have briefly taken off had returned, and all children were being sent back to shelters. The lawsuit cites violations of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, which mandates immigration hearings for non-Mexican unaccompanied minors, many of whom have active asylum or relief cases pending.
In Guatemala, families gathered at La Aurora Air Force Base, expecting the children’s arrival, with some, like Gilberto López, traveling overnight after learning his 17-year-old nephew faced deportation. The Guatemalan government has expressed willingness to receive the minors, citing concerns about their potential transfer to adult detention centers. However, advocates argue that returning these children risks exposing them to abuse, neglect, or persecution. As the legal battle continues, the case underscores a tense clash between the administration’s enforcement policies and federal protections for some of the most vulnerable migrants, with the fate of hundreds hanging in the balance.
Also Read: Trump Plan to Deport 700 Guatemalan Children Faces Intense Criticism