A federal judge issued an emergency order blocking the deportation of a group of Guatemalan children who crossed the border without their families, and set a virtual hearing for Sunday. Attorneys for 10 minors, ages 10 to 17, reported court papers saying planes were reportedly scheduled to depart within hours for Guatemala. The judge ordered that the children cannot be deported for at least 14 days unless she rules otherwise. Similar emergency requests were filed in Arizona and Illinois. Immigrant advocates warned the planned removals could violate federal protections for unaccompanied children. Airport activity included buses, federal agents, police, and planes idling as preparations continued.
Attorneys for 10 Guatemalan minors, ages 10 to 17, said in court papers filed late Saturday that there were reports that planes were set to take off within hours for the Central American country. But a federal judge in Washington said those children couldn't be deported for at least 14 days unless she rules otherwise, with a virtual hearing set for Sunday afternoon.
The episode has raised alarms among immigrant advocates, who say it may represent a violation of federal laws designed to protect children who arrive without their parents. While the deportations are on hold for now, the case underscores the high-stakes clash between the government's immigration enforcement efforts and the legal safeguards that Congress created for some of the most vulnerable migrants.
Buses carrying migrants pulled onto the tarmac as clusters of federal agents moved quickly between the vehicles and waiting aircraft. Police cars circled the perimeter, and officers and security guards pushed reporters back from the chain-link fences that line the field. On the runway, planes sat with engines idling, ground crews making final preparations as if departures could come at any moment - all as the courtroom battle played out hundreds of miles away in Washington.
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