A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has halted the Trump administration’s attempt to deport a group of unaccompanied Guatemalan children, issuing a temporary restraining order after an urgent overnight appeal from immigrant advocacy groups. The order came just hours after 10 minors, aged 10 to 17, had reportedly been placed on planes bound for Guatemala, sparking fears that hundreds more in federal shelters could also be subject to removal.
Judge Sparkle Sooknanan, alerted to the case in the early hours of Sunday morning, ruled that the deportations must be paused for 14 days while the matter is reviewed. She expanded the protection beyond the initial group of plaintiffs to cover all Guatemalan children in the custody of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Government lawyers later confirmed that the children who had been boarded onto planes were removed and returned to shelters managed by the Office of Refugee Resettlement.
The ruling directly challenges the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, which included a new agreement with Guatemala allowing the return of unaccompanied minors. Critics argue that such deportations violate U.S. legal protections for migrant children, who are typically placed with relatives or foster families rather than sent back to potentially unsafe conditions. In court filings, advocates warned that some children could face neglect, abuse, or persecution if repatriated, citing the case of a 10-year-old indigenous girl who had already suffered severe mistreatment in Guatemala.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller criticized the judge’s intervention, arguing that the minors should be reunited with parents or guardians in Guatemala. However, attorneys for the children disputed that all parents had requested their return, insisting that many of the children feared going back. The dispute underscores deep divisions between the administration’s immigration policies and humanitarian protections enshrined in federal law.
The case highlights both the intensity of Trump’s renewed push to tighten border enforcement and the ongoing legal battles surrounding the rights of vulnerable migrant children. For now, the restraining order ensures that no Guatemalan minors in U.S. custody will be deported, but with the order set for just 14 days, the issue is likely to return quickly to the courts as the administration seeks to press ahead with its deportation agenda.
