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A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from deporting more than 600 unaccompanied Guatemalan children.

Getting into it: In an emergency ruling issued early Sunday morning, US District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan granted a temporary restraining order halting the removals for 14 days, citing the urgent need to “maintain the status quo” while the case is reviewed. The judge initially blocked the deportation of 10 children named in the lawsuit but quickly expanded the order to include all unaccompanied Guatemalan minors not subject to a final removal order.

During a quickly arranged hearing, Judge Sooknanan expressed concern over the government’s timing and secrecy, saying she was “surprised” by the attempt to deport minors in the early hours of a holiday weekend without clear legal process. She said there should be “no ambiguity” about her order and insisted that government agencies comply fully with the court’s directive. By issuing the restraining order, she allowed time for further legal scrutiny and prevented the administration from carrying out an unprecedented mass removal of children without proper process.

This comes after a legal challenge, brought by immigrant advocacy groups including the National Immigration Law Center, argued that the government was attempting to circumvent federal laws that guarantee unaccompanied children the right to full immigration proceedings, including a chance to present claims for asylum. Attorneys said the children, many of whom had credible fears of returning to Guatemala, were not notified in advance and were being loaded onto planes without hearings or legal representation.

Government lawyers pushed back on this claim, arguing that the planned transfers were not deportations but rather voluntary repatriations requested by the children’s parents and the Guatemalan government. They called the effort afamily reunification program, not a removal action under immigration law. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign argued in court that the children were being returned home at their families’ request and criticized the lawsuit for interfering with those reunifications.