Trump Suffers Legal Setback on Child Deportations

The Trump administration was blocked by a federal judge from immediately deporting dozens of Guatemalan and Honduran children who came to the U.S. alone, over concerns about a lack of preparation for their return to the Central American states.

The setback for the Trump administration underscores the legal and practical challenges it faces in undertaking its promise of mass deportations of illegal immigrants from the U.S., a cornerstone policy of the White House.

U.S. District Judge Rosemary Márquez in Tucson, Arizona, granted a preliminary injunction against the deportations on Thursday, September 25. The children are aged between three and 17. Fifty-seven are Guatemalan and 12 are Honduran. The lawsuit was filed on their behalf by the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project.

“The foundation of Defendants’ argument for their authority to transport Plaintiffs out of the United States is that Defendants are reuniting Plaintiff Children with parents abroad, but counsel could not identify a single instance of coordination between a parent and any government—American or Guatemalan,” Márquez wrote.

This is a developing article. Updates to follow.

This article uses reporting by The Associated Press.