A federal judge just blocked the Trump administration from deporting hundreds of Guatemalan children, citing a lack of evidence that the government’s justification for the deportations was true. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, whom Trump appointed, issued a preliminary injunction on Thursday that extends an existing temporary order and prevents the removal of the children. This is a huge deal, especially since the government had previously attempted to deport these children on a holiday weekend, waking up minors as young as 10 years old in the middle of the night to transfer them to a plane. The judge’s decision came after a lawsuit was filed by attorneys for the minors, who argued that their clients were at risk of being sent back to a dangerous situation and that their legal claims had not been fully vetted. According to Fox News, the whole situation started over Labor Day weekend when federal authorities woke up 70 children, between the ages of 10 and 17, who were in Health and Human Services (HHS) custody. They were transferred to a plane bound for Guatemala. Still, thankfully, attorneys for the minors were able to get an emergency restraining order from Judge Sparkle Sooknanan that prevented the imminent deportation. Kelly’s new order effectively extends that protection indefinitely. The Trump administration can still appeal the decision, but for now, the children are safe. Trump wants to put children in harm’s way, which feels unsurprising The main issue here is the government’s reasoning for the deportations. The administration claimed it was trying to reunite the children with their parents in Guatemala. However, that argument “crumbled like a house of cards,” according to Judge Kelly. During a hearing last week, the judge noted a report from the Guatemalan attorney general’s office that was submitted to the court by the plaintiffs. The report stated that the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement had notified the Guatemalan government about a plan to return more than 600 minors. The key part of that report said that no parents had actually requested their children be returned. When a DOJ attorney was asked about the report, she admitted she had “no evidence to contradict” it. This is a pretty big oversight, but it didn’t mean anything to an administration that lets ICE shove pregnant women. What the fuck is this clown doing?US judge keeps block on Trump effort to deport Guatemalan unaccompanied children #Deportation #DonaldTrump #JusticeDepartmenthttps://t.co/L0N0ozyL1Q— 1stBitcoin (@1stUnity) September 18, 2025 The judge also brought up declarations from the minors themselves, who said they were afraid of facing violence or neglect if they were sent back. Kelly said that their possible removal would cause “irreparable harm”. This is a stark contrast to what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin wrote on social media when the initial restraining order was issued. She excoriated Judge Sooknanan and claimed the judge was “blocking flights to reunify Guatemalan children with their families” and calling it “disgusting and immoral”. This is just another example of Trump followers lying to the public, but it’s sad that it hurts kids. The lawsuit itself argues that laws “prevent unaccompanied children from being whisked off under cover of darkness at the whim of any government”. The minors in question are in HHS custody and don’t have legal guardians in the U.S. The administration’s attempt to remove them without fully vetting their legal claims, including pending asylum cases, is a huge concern. This is a situation where the government’s actions don’t align with its words, and it’s awful to see it affect vulnerable children.