Thu Sep 18 21:25:08 UTC 2025: **News Article:**

**Federal Judge Rebukes Trump Administration Over Attempted Deportation of Guatemalan Minors**

**Washington, D.C.** – A federal judge has sharply criticized the Trump administration’s attempt to rapidly deport Guatemalan unaccompanied migrant children, issuing an order blocking the policy while a legal challenge proceeds. Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, kept in place a previous injunction, blasting the administration’s claim that the children’s parents wanted them deported as unfounded.

The controversy stems from a surprise attempt on August 31 to deport 76 Guatemalan minors held in US custody. The Justice Department initially stated the children’s parents had requested their return, a claim they later retracted.

Judge Kelly’s 43-page opinion described the administration’s explanation as having “crumbled like a house of cards,” citing a report by the Guatemalan attorney general showing that most parents could not be contacted. Of those who were, many did not want their children returned to Guatemala.

The judge’s ruling prevents the deportation of Guatemalan unaccompanied children with active immigration cases or without permission from the US attorney general. Kelly highlighted the distress caused to the children, some of whom were taken from their beds in the middle of the night and put on planes, leaving them worried and confused. Evidence presented to the court included an incident where a young girl at a shelter in McAllen, Texas, was so scared that she vomited.

The Department of Homeland Security defended their actions, claiming the ruling prevents children from reuniting with their parents and forces them into shelters.

However, the case has brought to light the complexities faced by migrant families. One Guatemalan mother, whose 16-year-old son is in the US, told Reuters he wished to remain in California, even though she misses him. She stated she works long hours to cover basic expenses and acknowledged her son’s desire to build a better life.

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