Legal Challenge to US Border Policy on Child Deportation

Legal advocates have filed a motion to stop the United States===United States Customs and and Border Protection from implementing a policy that encourages unaccompanied immigrant children to voluntarily deport themselves. This policy, which began in September 2025, is alleged to violate the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 and an existing injunction protecting Guatemalan children. Attorneys from the National Center for Youth Law and the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection argue that the policy is coercive, with agents reportedly threatening prolonged detention, prosecution of sponsors, and future visa bans. They are seeking to expand the injunction to cover children from countries other than Mexico and Canada. The United States===United States Customs and and Border Protection has not yet responded to the allegations.