Tweet
Email
Link
The repatriation of Guatemalan children in US government custody is expected to begin Sunday, according to a notice sent to attorneys, prompting a scramble among lawyers who say kids were woken up in the middle of the night and are at risk if returned to their home country.
CNN first reported that the Trump administration was moving to repatriate hundreds of Guatemalan children who arrived to the US unaccompanied, in coordination with the Guatemalan government.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the removals of unaccompanied Guatemalan minors in US custody early Sunday, though plans appeared to still be underway, according to an immigration attorney representing Guatemalan children who were transported out of their shelter after the judge’s ruling.
Legal service providers who work with children were notified by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is charged with the care of migrant kids, that Guatemala had “requested the return of certain unaccompanied alien children in federal custody for the purposes of reunifying the UAC with suitable family members,” according to a notice obtained by CNN.
The children, ranging in age, are believed to not have a parent in the US, though they may have a relative, and have a parent or legal guardian in Guatemala. The criteria also includes children who do not have a pending asylum case and won’t be trafficked upon their return, according to the notice.
But attorneys who represent some of the children say that those who have been identified are at risk if returned to Guatemala and are in ongoing immigration proceedings.
In a lawsuit filed early Sunday to block the effort, attorneys argued that the Trump administration is violating US law, which affords unaccompanied migrants special protections and ensures kids aren’t removed without due process or the opportunity to seek relief from deportation.
CNN reached out to the White House, as well as the departments of Health and Human Services and Homeland Security for comment.
The plaintiffs in the case, which was filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, are 10 unaccompanied minors from Guatemala, ranging from ages 10 to 17, who have been identified for removal, and the majority of whom are in ongoing immigration proceedings.
One of those children, a 10-year-old indigenous child, “suffered abuse and neglect from other caregivers” in Guatemala. Her mother is deceased.
Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan ordered the US government not remove any of the individual plaintiffs for two weeks and set a hearing for Sunday afternoon.
The immigration attorney who represents multiple Guatemalan kids told CNN that the children were “terrified and confused.”
“The reaction when you explain what’s happening is disbelief. They’re very scared. They all say they’re afraid to return to Guatemala for different reasons,” the attorney said. “They were literally taken out of their beds in the middle of the night, on a holiday weekend.”
Late Saturday, the Office of Refugee Resettlement also notified shelter providers who care for unaccompanied migrant children that kids had been identified “for reunification with their parents and or legal guardians” in country of origin and must be prepared to be discharged within two hours, or four hours if the child is in a foster care program, upon receiving notification, according to a notice obtained by CNN.
The children, the notice states, must be travel ready, including proper documentation, medication, personal belongings, and two prepared sack lunches.