Judge in Arizona Prevents Trump Administration from Deporting Child Refugees

SadaNews - A federal judge in Arizona temporarily prevented U.S. President Donald Trump's administration from deporting dozens of child refugees from Guatemala and Honduras back to their countries on Thursday.

Judge Rosemary Márquez, in Tucson, issued a temporary ruling, citing concerns over the procedures the government took to arrange the deportation of these children, according to the Associated Press.

Márquez wrote, "The basis of the government's argument for deporting these children is that it seeks to reunite them with their families, but the attorneys found no evidence of coordination between the U.S. government or the Guatemalan government and the families of these children."

This ruling protects the children residing in shelters or under social care, after Márquez issued a temporary order over the weekend. This order was set to prevent the deportation of the children until September 26.

The Florence Project for Immigrant and Refugee Rights filed the lawsuit on behalf of 57 children from Guatemala and 12 others from Honduras, aged between 3 and 17 years.

This lawsuit, alongside another in Washington, was in response to the Trump administration's efforts to deport child refugees from Guatemala.

Last month, the U.S. administration informed the shelters where the children stay after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border that it would deport them to Guatemala and that they should prepare within hours. Several children arrived at an airport in Texas on August 31, with flights scheduled to depart for Guatemala.

The Arizona lawsuit demands that the government provide the children with the opportunity to defend themselves and obtain legal counsel, as well as to place them in a suitable environment that ensures their safety.

For its part, the Trump administration defended its position, stating that it seeks to reunite the children with their families, which is in their best interest, at the request of the Guatemalan government.