A federal judge has issued a significant ruling against the Trump administration’s efforts to deport unaccompanied Guatemalan migrant children with active immigration cases. Judge Timothy Kelly, appointed by President Trump and based in Washington, D.C., upheld a previous judicial block on the policy, strongly criticizing the administration’s unsubstantiated claim that the children’s parents desired their deportation. The ruling came in response to a legal challenge sparked by the administration’s surprise attempt to deport 76 Guatemalan minors in U.S. custody on August 31. Initially, Justice Department lawyer Drew Ensign asserted that the children’s parents had requested their return, but this claim was later retracted. The reversal followed a Reuters report citing an internal Guatemalan attorney general document, which revealed that most parents of the approximately 600 Guatemalan children in U.S. custody could not be reached, and many of those contacted opposed their children’s return. In a 43-page opinion, Judge Kelly described the administration’s justification as ‘crumbling like a house of cards’ and emphasized the lack of evidence supporting the parents’ alleged wishes. The judge’s decision prevents the rapid deportation of these children while their cases remain active. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice have yet to comment on the ruling. Under federal law, unaccompanied migrant children are placed in government-run shelters until they can be reunited with family or placed in foster care. A Guatemalan mother, who spoke anonymously, expressed her son’s desire to remain in California despite her longing for his return. She works long hours at a restaurant, earning just enough to cover basic necessities.
US judge keeps block on Trump effort to deport Guatemalan unaccompanied children
