Trump Governance Plans Removal of Hundreds of Guatemalan Children
WASHINGTON – The Trump administration is planning to deport nearly 700 Guatemalan children who arrived in the U.S.without their parents, according to a letter from Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR). Guatemala has indicated its willingness to accept the children.
Wyden warned Angie Salazar, acting director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) within the Department of Health and Human Services, that the removals would violate the ORR’s child welfare mandate and established U.S. obligations to these children. He urged the administration to halt the plans, arguing thay would separate children from families, legal representation, and support networks, potentially returning them to perilous conditions.
This action is part of the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on immigration, which includes increased enforcement in cities like Chicago, accelerated deportations, and the termination of protections for those authorized to live and work in the U.S.
Guatemalan Foreign Affairs Minister Carlos Martínez stated his government is prepared to receive the unaccompanied minors currently held in U.S. facilities. A key concern for Guatemala is preventing children from aging out of the child-specific facilities and being transferred to adult detention centers. Discussions are currently focused on the repatriation of over 600 children,though the exact number remains fluid.
This proposed number nearly doubles a previous agreement to repatriate 341 unaccompanied minors. guatemalan Immigration Institute Director Danilo Rivera previously stated the government would cover the costs of these returns, framing them as voluntary. President Bernardo Arévalo has affirmed Guatemala’s moral and legal obligation to advocate for these children, following a visit from U.S.Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
The White House and the Department of Health and Human Services have not yet commented on the plan, first reported by CNN.
According to whistleblowers cited in Wyden’s letter, children without a parent or legal guardian sponsor, or without an active asylum claim, will be forcibly removed.Immigrant rights advocates have expressed outrage. “We are outraged by the Trump administration’s renewed assault on the rights of immigrant children,” said Lindsay Toczylowski, president and CEO of Immigrant Defenders Law Center. “This is yet another calculated attempt to sever what little due process remains in the immigration system.”
Reporting by Santana, Seitz, and Gonzalez of the Associated Press. Gonzalez reported from McAllen, Texas. Additional reporting by Sonia Pérez D. in Guatemala City and tim Sullivan in Minneapolis.
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