On August 31, a federal judge stepped in just in time—halting the deportation of dozens of Guatemalan children who were already sitting on planes.

These children were being flown out in the middle of the night, on a holiday weekend, without due process or proper legal review.

The court’s emergency order was clear: the U.S. government cannot deport unaccompanied children while their cases are still pending.

Now we must make that protection permanent.

Many of these children fled violence, poverty, or abandonment. Some have relatives or sponsors waiting for them in the U.S. Others are actively seeking asylum or protection under humanitarian laws. But instead of safety, they were nearly shipped back without being heard in court—a violation of federal law and their constitutional rights.

We’re calling on:

• The Department of Homeland Security and Office of Refugee Resettlement to suspend all deportation plans for unaccompanied minors
• Congress to codify protections that prevent the expedited removal of children before legal review
• Federal courts to make Judge Sooknanan’s temporary order a lasting safeguard for migrant children at risk.
   

No child should be placed on a deportation flight before a judge decides whether it’s safe for them to return. No child should be treated like a shipment.

Sign this petition if you believe these deportations must be permanently stopped—and that unaccompanied minors deserve protection, not midnight flights to danger.