Judge blocks Trump administration move to deport Guatemalan children
Guatemalan children will be allowed to remain in the US
A US judge has ruled to block the Trump administration's move to give migrant children the option of either being deported with their families or remaining in the US alone. The ruling came after officials issued a directive earlier this month stating that immigrant children accompanied by their parents would be detained and sent back to their countries of origin, despite US law generally prohibiting the detention of children arriving alone. The ruling by District Judge Dolly Gee in California halted the implementation of the policy and requires the US Department of Homeland Security to reunify already-separated families. Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan said the ruling would "undermine the president's ability to enforce the immigration laws". This comes as the US continues to grapple with a surge of migrant families crossing the southern border, prompting the president to tweet that the "border is becoming more dangerous". Judge Gee, who was appointed by President Obama, ruled that the Trump administration's policy violated a two-decade-old settlement agreement that requires the government to release immigrant children from custody. Immigrant rights groups praised the ruling, with one lawyer calling it a "huge victory".
What is the Zero Tolerance Policy?
In 2018, the US government enacted a Zero Tolerance Policy, resulting in the separation of thousands of children from their parents or guardians at the US-Mexico border. The policy mandated that anyone convicted of illegally crossing the border would be criminally prosecuted, resulting in children being separated from their parents and placed in custody of the Department of Health and Human Services. However, after widespread backlash and condemnation, President Trump signed an executive order ending the practice of family separations. This recent ruling by Judge Gee has further complicated the Trump administration's efforts to stem the flow of migrants and asylum seekers at the southern border.
Immigration reform
The ruling comes as Democrats intensify their criticism of the administration's immigration policies, with some advocating for sweeping reform. The Biden administration has continued to rely on a public health authority enacted at the onset of the pandemic, allowing border agents to immediately expel migrants arrested at the border. The authority has been used to expel more than 1.7 million migrants since March 2020, including more than 100,000 this year alone. As the US continues to grapple with ongoing changes in its immigration policies, Judge Gee's ruling serves as a major setback for the Trump administration's hardline approach.
