A federal judge overnight barred the Trump administration from deporting a group of unaccompanied migrant children to Guatemala after lawyers argued the effort would skirt legal protections Congress established for these minors.
The plaintiffs in this case are 10 migrant children between the ages of 10 and 17 who entered the U.S. without authorization and without their parents or legal guardians. They're currently in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services, which is charged with housing unaccompanied migrant minors until they turn 18 or until they can be placed with a suitable sponsor in the U.S.
Lawyers allege the Trump administration is trying to send hundreds of migrant children to Guatemala without allowing them to request humanitarian protection, even though U.S. law protects them from speedy deportations. They say the children may face abuse, neglect or persecution if returned to Guatemala.
Judge Sparkle Sooknanan issued a temporary restraining order early this morning prohibiting the deportation of the plaintiffs for 14 days and has scheduled a hearing for 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
Camilo Montoya-Galvez is the immigration reporter at CBS News. Based in Washington, he covers immigration policy and politics.
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