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

Biden-appointed judge halts pilot program to return Guatemalan minors to parents, with Trump officials calling it reunification while critics claim mass deportation.

Jasmine Baehr is a Breaking News Writer for Fox News Digital, where she covers politics, the military, faith and culture.

The lead plaintiff was a 10-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 emergency hearing: "I have the government 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 government, while advocacy groups argue the kids are being rushed out without hearings or the chance to pursue asylum. 

Guatemala’s foreign minister confirmed the country is ready to take the children, with President Bernardo Arévalo 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 many of the migrants had gathered at airports across the Central American nation in anticipation of their arrival.The entire emergency motion can be read here.The DOJ, HHS, ICE, the State Department, NILC, and the Guatemalan Embassy did not immediately return Fox News Digital's request for comment.The Associated Press contributed to this report.