Lawyers Fight to Halt Trump Administration’s Deportation Plans for Minors

Lawyers representing ten Guatemalan minors, aged between 10 and 17, are taking urgent action to prevent the Trump administration from deporting hundreds of Guatemalan unaccompanied minors. A federal judge has temporarily blocked these deportations, prompting an emergency hearing at 12:30 p.m. on August 31, 2025, after reports indicated that the children were in the process of being removed from the United States.

The case, brought before U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan, highlights significant legal and ethical concerns. The attorneys allege that the Trump administration is coordinating efforts to repatriate more than 600 unaccompanied minors to Guatemala without allowing them the opportunity to contest their removal. Unaccompanied minors are defined as individuals under 18 years of age who arrive in a country without a legal guardian and lack legal status.

The children involved in this lawsuit are currently in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). According to a statement from the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), which filed the lawsuit, the administration is denying these minors their fundamental legal right to present their cases before an immigration judge.

“It is a dark and dangerous moment for this country when our government chooses to target orphaned 10-year-olds and denies them their most basic legal right,” said Efrén C. Olivares, vice president of litigation at NILC. “The Constitution and federal laws provide robust protections to unaccompanied minors because of the unique risks they face. We are determined to use every legal tool at our disposal to force the administration to respect the law and not send any child to danger.”

In further revelations, NILC indicated that shelters in South Texas had received notifications to prepare for the discharge of Guatemalan children in their custody. This came in response to the government’s urgent need to implement deportation plans. The organization noted that ICE agents have started attempts to transport Guatemalan unaccompanied children from shelters to airports for potential removal from the U.S. as early as the morning of August 31.

The lawsuit was initiated after ORR informed legal service providers that certain children identified for reunification might see their court proceedings dismissed. The notice emphasized the need for ORR Care Providers to ensure that unaccompanied minors were prepared for discharge within two hours of receiving such notifications.

In one specific case mentioned in the court filings, a 10-year-old indigenous girl, who speaks a rare language and has suffered past abuse and neglect, is among those at risk. The NILC has expressed concern that many Guatemalan children in U.S. custody are indigenous and speak languages other than English or Spanish, making them more susceptible to being misled by officials regarding their deportation status.

The situation remains critical as legal advocates continue to fight for the rights of these vulnerable minors. The outcome of the emergency hearing may set a significant precedent for the treatment of unaccompanied minors in the U.S. immigration system.