During the initial emergency hearing on Aug. 31, the government claimed the children were being reunited with their parents in coordination with the Guatemalan government. “But that explanation crumbled like a house of cards about a week later,” U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly wrote in Thursday’s ruling. “There is no evidence before the Court that the parents of these children sought their return,” wrote Judge Kelly. Kelly says the government is blocked from deporting these children while the case continues. While Judge Kelly’s order only applies to Guatemalan children, attorneys for the minors had notified the court that other children from different countries could also be targeted for removal.