Judge blocks Trump's deportations, says reasoning "crumbled like a house of cards"
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Federal agents patrol the halls of immigration court. September 03, 2025. Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images.
A federal judge slammed the Trump administration for trying to deport a group of Guatemalan children on Thursday, saying that the government's justification for removal "crumbled like a house of cards."
Why it matters: The judge criticized the Trump administration for trying to circumvent the children's rights and rejected federal officials' attempts to rebrand the removals as "reunifications."
- The order allows the children who don't have orders of deportation or voluntary departure to temporarily stay in America while the case makes its way through the courts.
Catch up quick: The Trump administration initially attempted to deport the children in the middle of the night during Labor Day weekend, claiming that the kids' parents had requested their return.
- At the time, a separate federal judge temporarily blocked that effort and sided with the plaintiffs, who argued they could face "abuse, neglect, persecution, or torture" if returned to Guatemala.
What they're saying: "There is no evidence before the Court that the parents of these children sought their return," U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ruled on Thursday.
- "To the contrary, the Guatemalan Attorney General reports that officials could not even track down parents for most of the children whom Defendants found eligible for their 'reunification' plan."
- "And none of those that were located had asked for their children to come back to Guatemala," Kelly wrote, noting that some families were "annoyed" by the inquiry because they expected their children to remain in America.
The other side: White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said that the administration is committed to "reuniting children with their parents, and to keeping families together."
- "The lower court wrongly interjected itself into this effort. We look forward to vindication on the legal authority to promote family reunification," she said in an emailed statement.
Zoom in: Unaccompanied minors in government custody have different protections than adults, and are typically placed in the care of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement.
- Kelly acknowledged that it's ORR's job to "reunify" children with their parents whenever possible but that duty does not supersede due process or the congressionally-mandated immigration procedures that minors have under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act.
Go deeper: Children increasingly bear brunt of Trump's deportation push
