Hundreds of Guatemalan children can stay in the U.S. for now, judge rules

A federal judge on Sunday issued a temporary restraining order to block the Trump administration from deporting unaccompanied migrant children to Guatemala. U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan issued the order early Sunday morning. As a result, 10 children who were about to be returned to their home country were subsequently removed from the planes, according to the Justice Department. Now, about 600 unaccompanied Guatemalan children currently in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement cannot be deported without a deportation order. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said the ruling was preventing the children from being reunited with their parents who are already in Guatemala. Meanwhile, lawyers for the children cheered the decision and said they could face abuse, neglect, persecution, or torture if they are returned to their home country. The judge’s order applies for two weeks.

What else is happening in immigration news? A federal judge last week upheld her previous injunction against Florida’s so-called Alligator Alcatraz immigrant detention center. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ordered operations at the facility to wind down within 60 days. Florida Division of Emergency Management Executive Director Kevin Guthrie said all detainees would soon be removed from the center, according to the Associated Press. Gov. Ron DeSantis last week acknowledged the reports, saying the Department of Homeland Security was increasing the rate at which it removed detainees from the facility.

Dig deeper: Read Addie Offereins’ report about religious groups suing the Trump administration over its immigrant arrest policy.