LatinoJustice Supports Federal Court Decision to Halt Children Being Secretly Deported
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 18, 2025
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LatinoJustice Supports Federal Court Decision to Halt Children Being Secretly Deported
New York, NY – Federal U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from immediately deporting Guatemalan migrant children who arrived alone in the U.S.
The injunction from the court follows a complaint from several nonprofits on behalf of ten children the Trump administration attempted to deport a group of Guatemalan migrant children who were living in government shelters and foster care on Labor Day weekend.
The following statement can be attributed to Rex Chen, Supervising Counsel for Immigrant Rights of LatinoJustice PRLDEF:
“We are relieved that a federal judge has stopped ICE’s shocking attempt to secretly deport Guatemalan children over a holiday weekend by sending them on planes in the middle of the night instead of protecting some of the most vulnerable people in our country’s care.
“The Trump Administration falsely claimed to the public and the court that the children’s parents wanted the children returned. But in court, officials were forced to admit that not a single parent asked for that. These deliberate misrepresentations to the public and the judiciary raise serious questions about whether ICE and DOJ can be trusted to uphold the law.
“The government has failed to apologize or show that they will follow the law in the future. The false statements and illegal deportation efforts are part of a disturbing pattern of unlawful and abusive treatment of Latino immigrants, as we saw in the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case and many others. LatinoJustice will continue to fight to keep our immigrant families together and to demand that every person is treated with dignity due process and justice.”
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About LatinoJustice
LatinoJustice PRLDEF works to create a more just society by using and challenging the rule of law to secure transformative, equitable and accessible justice, by empowering our community and by fostering leadership through advocacy and education. For over 50 years, LatinoJustice PRLDEF has acted as an advocate against injustices throughout the country. To learn more about LatinoJustice, visit www.LatinoJustice.org