A federal judge issued a temporary halt preventing the removal of hundreds of Guatemalan children who crossed the U.S. border alone. Some children were already loaded on planes while the judge conducted a hearing. The halt grants lawyers 14 additional days to address the case and bars any removals during that two-week period. The children were under the care of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement. Federal law since 2002 requires HHS to shelter unaccompanied children and generally bars deportation until full immigration proceedings and a best-interest review occur. The operation was executed with little advance notice and was characterized as rushed.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from expelling hundreds of Guatemalan children who crossed the U.S. border alone. Although the government had not obtained legal permission to remove the children, some of their lawyers said, Guatemalan children were already loaded on planes on a tarmac while the judge conducted a hearing about the situation on Sunday, a U.S. attorney confirmed. The temporary halt, issued Sunday afternoon, allows lawyers 14 more days to discuss the case and prevents any children from being removed during the next two weeks.
Since 2002, the Department of Health and Human Services has been required by federal law to shelter and care for children who enter the U.S. without parents or guardians. After HHS assumes care of unaccompanied children, following their apprehension by other agencies at the border, the minors are typically not allowed to be deported without receiving the benefit of full immigration proceedings.
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