Parents of Guatemalan minors, on the brink of US deportation, express resistance to their children's return: Internal document
In a surprising turn of events, a federal judge has blocked the removal of 609 Guatemalan teenagers, aged between 14 and 17, who were set to be deported from the United States.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on July 11 that these unaccompanied minors were to be sent back to Guatemala. However, attorneys representing the children moved to file a preliminary injunction, arguing that the minors remain at risk of being sent to Guatemala without a final order from an immigration judge.
The Trump administration had been in discussions with Guatemalan officials about the "Voluntary Return Program for Minors" since July 9. The discussions focused on Guatemalan teenagers in the U.S. who were nearing adulthood and at risk of being moved to adult shelters and deported.
A memo, entered into the record during the hearing, reveals some of the information the Guatemalan government received from the Trump administration and the steps they took before the minors were nearly removed from the U.S.
According to the memo, many parents of these minors did not request their children's return to Guatemala. One parent stated that if her daughter was returned, she would attempt to get her out of Guatemala due to death threats and inability to live in the country.
After conducting home visits, the government of Guatemala found that 50 families were willing to receive their children if they were returned, but none were requesting their children's return and expressed a desire for them to stay in the U.S. Many families were surprised and upset because they believed their children were in a process to legalize their immigration status in the U.S. and did not expect their children to return to Guatemala.
On Aug. 31, the day the children were set to arrive in Guatemala, seven families arrived at Guatemalan Air Force facilities to receive the minors. However, the Trump administration temporarily halted the deportation of these Guatemalan minors over the weekend.
The memo was referenced during Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s testimony before a Senate committee. One report noted that the parents of a returned daughter would do everything possible to get her out of the country again because she had received death threats and could not live in Guatemala.
It is important to note that HHS manages the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the agency tasked with providing services to unaccompanied migrant children. The situation is currently under review, and further updates are expected in the coming days.
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