GUATEMALA CITY: Guatemala stands ready to accept approximately 150 unaccompanied minors weekly from the United States across all age groups.
President Bernardo Arevalo confirmed his government’s willingness to receive these children during a Monday press conference.
This announcement followed a US federal judge’s Sunday order halting the deportation of ten Guatemalan children.
The Trump administration revealed in a Monday court filing that these children had been returned to refugee shelters after being boarded onto planes.
Arevalo stated that his administration has been coordinating with US authorities regarding the minors’ reception.
“But the decision to send them, the number, and the pace is one that rests with the American government, and as you can see, there’s currently a legal dispute,“ he said.
Lawyers for the children argued that deportations would violate congressional protections for vulnerable children.
They further contended that returning the children to Guatemala could expose them to peril and abuse.
District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan’s order temporarily blocks deportations for fourteen days while the case remains pending.
This order potentially affects hundreds of unaccompanied Guatemalan minors currently in US custody.
These children crossed the southern border without parents or guardians, often seeking relatives already in the United States.
US law grants them enhanced protections while their asylum and immigration claims undergo processing.
President Trump returned to office in January partly on promises to increase deportations beyond previous administrations.
Courts have determined that some accelerated deportation efforts violate constitutional due process rights. – Reuters