Biden judge halts 'surprising' illegal alien minor repatriation plan after advocacy groups sue

A Biden-appointed federal judge abruptly blocked the Trump administration from flying out hundreds of illegal alien children over Labor Day weekend after immigrant advocacy groups rushed to court claiming Trump was carrying out a mass deportation in the dead of night The emergency order by U S District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan froze a pilot campaign the administration stated would reunite nearly kids with parents or guardians in Guatemala By the time the judge intervened charter buses had already rolled up to planes in Harlingen and El Paso and in a few cases children were seated on board awaiting departure Justice Department lawyer Drew Ensign described the court These are not removals under the statute These are repatriations All of these children have parents or guardians in Guatemala who have requested their return 'LAWLESS AND INSANE' TRUMP ADMIN READIES FOR FIGHT AFTER JUDGES BLOCK ABREGO GARCIA REMOVAL FOR NOW Advocacy groups rejected that explanation with the National Immigration Law Center's NILC Efr n Olivares firing back that it is a dark and dangerous moment when our governing body chooses to target orphaned -year-olds The lawsuit LGML v Noem was filed just after a m Sunday accusing the Trump administration of skirting a law that immigrant-rights groups often cite to shield minors from removal Named as defendants were Attorney General Pam Bondi Department of Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem Vitality and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr and Secretary of State Marco Rubio FEDERAL JUDGE HALTS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DEPORTATION OF EIGHT SETTLERS TO SOUTH SUDANThe lead plaintiff was a -year-old girl identified only by her initials whose mother had died in Guatemala Judge Sooknanan scolded the Trump administration over the timing saying during the exigency hearing I have the leadership attempting to remove minor children from the country in the wee hours of the morning on a holiday weekend which is surprising but here we are The Trump administration insists the flights were lawful reunifications negotiated with Guatemala s authorities while advocacy groups argue the kids are being rushed out without hearings or the chance to pursue asylum Guatemala s foreign minister approved the country is ready to take the children with President Bernardo Ar valo calling it a moral and legal obligation Unaccompanied children who arrive illegally in the United States are often handed over to the HHS' Office of Refugee Resettlement ORR while their immigration cases are prepared Those from Guatemala often request asylum to stay in America For now hundreds of Guatemalan minors remain in the U S while the legal battle plays out According to reporting from The Associated Press family members of numerous of the immigrants had gathered at airports across the Central American nation in anticipation of their arrival The entire urgency motion can be read here CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPThe DOJ HHS ICE the State Department NILC and the Guatemalan Embassy did not right now return Fox News Digital's request for comment The Associated Press contributed to this assessment