US Judge Extends Deportation Block for Guatemalan Migrant Children
- Attempts by teh Trump administration to deport unaccompanied minors to Guatemala have been elaborate by difficulties locating parents and reluctance from families to accept returns, according to reports...
- In September 2020,the Trump administration requested that Guatemala accept a meaningful number of unaccompanied migrant children who had crossed the U.S.-Mexico border.
- The agreements were controversial, with critics arguing they were unsafe and violated international law.
U.S.Efforts to Deport Unaccompanied Minors to Guatemala Face Obstacles
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Attempts by teh Trump administration to deport unaccompanied minors to Guatemala have been elaborate by difficulties locating parents and reluctance from families to accept returns, according to reports and testimony.
Last updated: 2024-09-13 19:17:13
Background and Initial Requests
In September 2020,the Trump administration requested that Guatemala accept a meaningful number of unaccompanied migrant children who had crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. This request followed the signing of “Asylum Cooperative Agreements” (ACAs) with Guatemala and other Central American countries, allowing the U.S. to send asylum seekers to those nations. Council on Foreign Relations
The agreements were controversial, with critics arguing they were unsafe and violated international law. The Biden administration later sought to terminate these agreements, but legal challenges have slowed the process. American Civil Liberties Union
Locating Parents and Family Reluctance
Just two days after the U.S. request, the Guatemalan Attorney General’s Office reported significant challenges in locating the parents of approximately 600 minors held in U.S.custody. Of the 115 parents who were located, many expressed unwillingness to have their children returned to Guatemala. Reuters
This reluctance highlights the complex reasons families send children to the U.S., often to escape violence, poverty, and lack of opportunity in their home countries. Returning children to situations where parents cannot be found or do not want them back raises serious child welfare concerns.
Internal U.S. Government Disagreement
Kenneth Wainstein, then-Chief of Staff to the Department of Homeland Security, initially requested the deportations. However, during a september 10, 2020 hearing, Genevieve Kelly, a Trump appointee, cited the Guatemalan Attorney General’s report. This led a seperate Justice Department lawyer to withdraw an earlier statement made by Ensign supporting the deportations. Reuters
this internal disagreement underscores the legal and ethical complexities surrounding the deportations and the concerns raised by the Guatemalan government’s findings.
Guatemala’s Capacity and Regional Origins
Lucrecia Prera, head of the Guatemalan Attorney General’s Office for Children and Adolescents, stated that Guatemalan authorities typically receive one or two unaccompanied minors daily from Mexico or the U.S. Tho, they had never been asked to accept as many as 100 children at once. Reuters
The majority of the children the U.S. sought to return originated from the Guatemalan regions of huehuetenango, San Marcos, Quiche, and Alta Verapaz. These areas are predominantly Indigenous,with farming communities facing high rates of malnutrition and poverty.These conditions are key drivers of migration.
Prera also noted that some families had taken out mortgages on their homes to finance their children’s journey to the United States, demonstrating the significant financial sacrifices families make in hopes of a better life for their children.