Summary
A federal judge temporarily stopped the deportation of 76 Guatemalan children from the U.S. after legal arguments that deporting them could put them in danger. The deportation flights intended to return the children to Guatemala were halted due to concerns about their safety and rights.
Key Facts
- A U.S. federal judge blocked the deportation of 76 Guatemalan children.
- The children were put on planes in Texas late at night on August 31 before the judge's order stopped the flights.
- Lawyers argued that deporting the children could expose them to abuse or persecution in Guatemala.
- The children range in age from 10 to 17, and some have experienced neglect or abuse in their home country.
- The judge's restraining order affects potentially up to 700 Guatemalan minors in U.S. custody.
- The U.S. government claims that their return was requested by the minors' families in Guatemala.
- The Guatemalan government supported the deportation plan to keep children from U.S. detention centers.
- The legal argument against deportations is based on minors' rights to challenge their removal under U.S. law.
