Federal judge blocks Trump administration from deporting hundreds of Guatemalan minors

A federal judge on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from deporting hundreds of Guatemalan minors to their home country after the cabinet walked back proposes that it intended to reunite the youths with their parents Judge Timothy Kelly who issued the order signaled his skepticism of the removals in a hearing last week noting declarations from minors who explained they feared facing violence or neglect if they were returned to Guatemala It goes without saying that makes that irreparable harm Kelly explained of their feasible removals Kelly a Trump appointee also raised a assessment from the Guatemalan attorney general s office which plaintiffs submitted to the court The review was compiled in response to Medical and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement notifying the Guatemalan authorities that it planned to return more than minors to Guatemala No parents had requested the return of their children the analysis mentioned Welch disclosed she had no evidence to contradict the statement BIDEN JUDGE HALTS 'SURPRISING' ILLEGAL ALIEN MINOR REPATRIATION PLAN AFTER ADVOCACY GROUPS SUE I don t have anything specific that I can refer to contest the Guatemalan AG s account Welch explained though she also stated that particular children have signaled they are interested in returning home The judge's order arose from a lawsuit brought against the Trump administration after federal leadership woke up minors aged to in the middle of the night over Labor Day weekend while they were in HHS custody and transferred them to a plane bound for Guatemala Attorneys for chosen of the minors secured an urgency restraining order from Judge Sparkle Sooknanan that prevented their imminent deportation Kelly's order effectively extends that order indefinitely The Trump administration could appeal the decision Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Homeland Guard for comment The minors' attorneys argued their clients were at imminent menace of removal despite several having pending asylum cases or other legal proposes that had not fully been vetted by the courts LAWYERS CHALLENGE DEPORTATION OF HUNDREDS OF MINORS TO GUATEMALASooknanan initially addressed the lawsuit over Labor Day weekend but Kelly has since taken the matter over Trump administration representatives including a Department of Homeland Measure spokesperson had excoriated Sooknanan when he issued her order claiming the judge was blocking children from returning to their parents Judge Sparkle Sooknanan is blocking flights to reunify Guatemalan children with their families DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin wrote on social media at the time Now these children have to go to shelters This is disgusting and immoral The minors' attorneys argued in court papers that trafficking and immigration laws prevent unaccompanied children from being whisked off under cover of darkness at the whim of any establishment The minors in question are currently in Soundness and Human Services custody and have no legal guardians in the United States the attorneys have explained