Lawyers flag urgent need for better funding of federal trade, sanctions agencies.

In a letter to the Finance Department ahead of the coming fall budget, the Canadian international trade and investment lawyers call for more funding for departments and agencies responsible for administering trade and tariff programming.

The Aug. 22 letter says that in response to tariffs and shifting trade policies, Canadian and global companies have restructured supply chains, shifted investments and adjusted sourcing strategies.

These businesses rely on Canada’s trade institutions to navigate new tariffs, economic sanctions and export controls, as well as secure permits, respond to enforcement actions and resolve disputes.

The letter says the surge in trade activity requires stronger institutional capacity to deliver timely and effective oversight, decisions and guidance.

It argues that funding has not kept pace to support the institutions responsible for implementing Canada’s trade policy goals.

The letter says the speed and scale of change have left critical parts of the federal government “under-resourced and increasingly unable” to meet the needs of Canadians.

“Canadian businesses and workers face mounting challenges in a fast-changing global economy,” the letter says.

“Targeted investments in trade-related institutions are critical to protecting Canada’s economic resilience and ensuring timely, responsive support for stakeholders.”

Among the signatories are William Pellerin of McMillan LLP, Wendy Wagner of Gowling WLG and Helen Byon of EY Law LLP.

The letter comes as the federal Liberals seek ways to find savings across government to fund new priorities like defence and housing.

The letter cites several examples of the growing federal strain:

— the Canada Border Services Agency’s Special Import Measures Act investigations directorate is on pace this year to receive the highest number of dumping and subsidy complaints in more than 20 years;

— the border agency’s recourse directorate, which is responsible for redetermining the assessment of duties on imports, is increasingly exceeding a one-year statutory time-frame;

— the Canadian International Trade Tribunal faces an unprecedented volume of proceedings and a growing backlog in decision-making;

— the sanctions bureau at Global Affairs Canada, which administers Canada’s sanctions on Russia and other jurisdictions, has a large inventory of sanctions permit and delisting applications;

— and the Finance Department’s international trade policy division has experienced a notable increase in requests for duty and surtax remissions, often requiring complex and time-sensitive assessments.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 7, 2025.

Jim Bronskill, The #Canadian Press

After largely ignoring suffering in #Gaza, Israeli media start to report on #Palestinian hardships.


For most of the past two years, television stations in Israel have paid little attention to suffering in Gaza, giving viewers a steady stream of stories about Israeli heroism, the agony of hostages’ families and the deaths of soldiers in combat.

But that is changing. In recent months, some Israeli stations have begun to share graphic images of malnourished children and a few deeply reported stories about the difficulties of daily life for Palestinians.

This subtle shift comes as Israel faces unprecedented global outrage over the ongoing war, and it reflects deep divisions over whether the military offensive should be halted, though the growing protests and the media coverage have had little effect on Israel’s policies.

“It’s not just truly caring about the situation in Gaza, but also from an Israeli perspective, are we acting correctly in a way that serves the aims of this war?” said Eran Amsalem, a communications professor at Israel’s Hebrew University.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has largely ignored a mass movement calling for an end to the war that is focused on returning the hostages. After the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas and two years of regional fighting, appeals on behalf of Palestinians have even less traction.
The shock of Oct. 7

The first images from the war were of Hamas-led militants storming the border and marauding through Israeli army bases and farming communities. Footage out of Gaza showed people celebrating as hostages were paraded through the streets, bloodied and beaten.

Around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed, and 251 taken hostage. Forty-eight remain in Gaza, around 20 of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were returned in ceasefires or other deals.

It was the worst attack ever carried out on Israel’s homefront and still dominates local newscasts. In the early months, Israelis rallied around the flag after what some referred to as their 9/11, while international media quickly shifted focus to the invasion of Gaza.

“During most of the war, the Israeli media really reported very little on the suffering in Gaza or the hunger or destruction,” said Raviv Drucker, a prominent Israeli news anchor. “If they did report it, it’s only from the Israeli perspective,” he explained, in terms of how effective it was in destroying Hamas.

Israel has barred international journalists from Gaza since the start of the war, outside of visits organized by the military. The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists says it’s the deadliest conflict for reporters the group has ever documented, with at least 189 Palestinian journalists killed by Israeli fire.

“It’s a strange war, because it’s the 21st century, and everyone has a phone to broadcast,” Drucker said. “But there’s no one on the ground, so you can’t say, ‘There’s someone on the ground that I trust.’”
The perils of highlighting Gaza suffering

Some newscasters who have highlighted the humanitarian catastrophe have faced backlash.

Yonit Levi, a prominent news anchor known for her cool demeanor, made an uncharacteristic comment during a report in July about international media coverage of the famine.

“Maybe it’s time to understand that this is not a failure of public diplomacy, but a moral failure, and to start from there,” she said. Levi, who declined to speak to The Associated Press, was called a “Hamas spokesperson” by an analyst on the pro-Netanyahu Channel 14, and a right-wing activist accused her of “spitting in the face of Israeli soldiers.”

Commentators from right-wing outlets, including Channel 14, regularly cheer the killing of Palestinians and the demolition of their homes, saying there are no innocent civilians in Gaza and that the military should act with even greater force.

The offensive has killed over 64,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. Its figures are seen as reliable by U.N. agencies and many independent experts. Israel disputes the figures but has not provided its own.

Zvi Yehezkeli, an Arab affairs correspondent for Israel’s i24 TV, welcomed the killing of five journalists in an Israeli strike on a hospital last week, accusing them — without evidence — of working with Hamas to disseminate fake news harmful to Israel. “Better late than never,” he said.

The Israeli military has said none of the journalists, including Mariam Dagga, who worked for the AP and other publications, were suspected militants, and it denies targeting them.
Signs of change

Still, the coverage has slightly shifted in recent weeks, with some longer stories about Palestinians appearing in major outlets.

Israeli journalists have given more airtime to the starvation crisis fueled in part by Israel’s 2 1/2 month ban on all humanitarian aid — including food and medicine — earlier this year.

Mainstream TV news programs now feature a few interviews with Palestinians in Gaza, though digitally altered to preserve the safety of those who speak to Israeli media despite pressure from Hamas. But those stories are still far outweighed by a focus on domestic issues.

Nir Hasson and his colleagues at Israel’s left-leaning Haaretz newspaper have reported extensively on the Palestinians both before and during the war, in articles that are frequently critical of Israel’s conduct. But it’s an outlier in the current media landscape.

“After Oct. 7, there’s no doubt that something was broken, and it became completely illegitimate to deal with the pain of the other side,” Hasson said.

“But I think the Israeli public is more mature than the media gives them credit for,” he added. “I think the public has an ability to listen. I think the media is censoring itself too much.”

Melanie Lidman, The Associated Press

South Korea says it has reached a deal with the U.S. for the release of workers in a Georgia plant.

Kang Hoon-sik, chief of staff for President Lee Jae Myung, said that South Korea and the U.S. had finalized negotiations on the workers’ release. He said South Korea plans to send a charter plane to bring the workers home as soon as remaining administrative steps are completed.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is to leave for the U.S. on Monday for talks related to the workers’ releases, South Korean media reported.

U.S. immigration authorities said Friday they detained 475 people, most of them South Korean nationals, when hundreds of federal agents raided Hyundai’s sprawling manufacturing site in Georgia where the Korean automaker makes electric vehicles. Agents focused on a plant that is still under construction at which Hyundai has partnered with LG Energy Solution to produce batteries that power EVs.

Cho said that more than 300 South Koreans were among the detained.

The operation was the latest in a long line of workplace raids conducted as part of the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda. But the one on Thursday is especially distinct because of its large size and the fact that state officials have long called the targeted site Georgia’s largest economic development project.

The raid stunned many in South Korea because the country is a key U.S. ally. It agreed in July to purchase US$100 billion in U.S. energy and make a $350 billion investment in the U.S. in return for the U.S lowering tariff rates. About two weeks ago, U.S. President Donald Trump and Lee held their first meeting in Washington.

Lee said the rights of South Korean nationals and economic activities of South Korean companies must not be unfairly infringed upon during U.S. law enforcement procedures. South Korea’s Foreign Ministry separately issued a statement to express “concern and regret” over the case and sent diplomats to the site.

Video released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Saturday showed a caravan of vehicles driving up to the site and then federal agents directing workers to line up outside. Some detainees were ordered to put their hands up against a bus as they were frisked and then shackled around their hands, ankles and waist.

Most of the people detained were taken to an immigration detention center in Folkston, Georgia, near the Florida state line. None has been charged with any crimes yet, Steven Schrank, the lead Georgia agent of Homeland Security Investigations, said during a news conference Friday, adding that the investigation was ongoing.

He said that some of the detained workers had illegally crossed the U.S. border, while others had entered the country legally but had expired visas or had entered on a visa waiver that prohibited them from working.

Kang, the South Korean presidential chief of staff, said that South Korea will push to review and improve visa systems for those traveling to the U.S. on business trips for investment projects.

Hyung-jin Kim, The Associated Press

Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba resigns,

TOKYO — Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced Sunday that he will resign, following growing calls from within his party to take responsibility for a historic defeat in July’s parliamentary election.

Ishiba, who took office in October, said he was stepping down as prime minister and as the head of his conservative Liberal Democratic Party.

Ishiba, a 68-year-old centrist, had resisted demands from opponents further to the right within his own party to resign. He argued that he wanted to avoid a political vacuum at a time when Japan faces key domestic and international challenges, including U.S. tariffs, rising prices and growing tensions in the Asia-Pacific.

Ishiba explained at a news conference Sunday night that he had intended for some time to take responsibility for his party’s summer election loss, but was first determined to make progress in tariff negotiations with the United States. He described it as matter of the national interest.

“Who would seriously negotiate with a government whose leader says he is stepping down?” Ishiba said.

He said the moment had arrived with an order by U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday to lower tariffs on Japanese cars and other products from 25 per cent to 15 per cent.

“Having reached a milestone in the U.S. tariff negotiations, I decided now is the time to make way for a successor,” Ishiba said.
Pressure from the party

The resignation came one day before Ishiba’s party was to decide whether to hold an early leadership election, which would have amounted to a virtual no-confidence motion against him if approved.

He said he made the “painful decision to resign” to avert that step because “it would cause a critical division within the party, and that is absolutely not my intention.”

Ishiba said he would instead start a process to hold a party leadership vote to choose his replacement, which is expected to be held in October. He is to remain as prime minister until a new leader is elected and endorsed by the parliament.

Ishiba’s leadership that lasted only one year underscores the instability of Japan’s minority government.

A maverick who won the leadership in his fifth attempts, Ishiba said he regrets he could not live up to voters’ expectations for change. “As a result, I failed to go my own way, and I wonder how I could have done better,” he said.

He said he is not going to run in the next leadership race, even though he regrets leaving behind unfinished business, such as measures for salary increases, agricultural reforms and further strengthening Japan’s security. He asked his future successor to tackle the issues he cherished.
Loss after loss

In July, Ishiba’s ruling coalition failed to secure a majority in the 248-seat upper house in a crucial parliamentary election, weakening his government. The loss followed a defeat in the more powerful lower house, where the party-led coalition lost its majority in October, only two weeks after Ishiba took over.

Liberal Democratic lawmakers who support the prime minister said those who lost seats were largely ultra-conservatives who were linked to corruption scandals before Ishiba took office. Public polling showed that pressure on Ishiba to resign had the reverse effect and caused his support to grow.

Calls for Ishiba to step down grew after the Liberal Democratic Party last week called for a “complete overhaul” of the party following its losses.

Taro Aso, a conservative heavyweight known for his anti-Ishiba stance, and a minister and several deputy ministers in the Ishiba Cabinet requested an early vote, prompting others to follow suit.

Former Health Minister Norihisa Tamura said on a talk show of the public broadcaster NHK earlier Sunday that the best way to heal party divisions and move forward is for Ishiba “to settle” the dispute before Monday’s vote. The party has already been distracted from necessary work on economic measures and on figuring out ways to gain opposition support in the next parliamentary session, Tamura said.

Possible candidates to replace Ishiba include Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, as well as ultra-conservative former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, a moderate and the protege of former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Lacking a majority in both houses, the next party leader will have to work with the main opposition parties to get bills passed, experts say, or else face constant risks of no-confidence motions.

The opposition parties, however, are too splintered to form a coalition to topple the government.

Voters say they want to see the party move forward and get down to work but they worry about uncertainty.

Office worker Takahiro Uchi welcomed Ishiba’s resignation, as he hopes for change, “but at the same time, there is also uncertainty and concern about who will take over next.” Masataka Nishioka, who works for a dental equipment company, said, “I really hope for a kind of politics that makes life easier for everyone.”

Mari Yamaguchi, The Associated Press

AP video journalist Ayaka McGill in Tokyo contributed.

#Russia’s ambassador to Germany, Sergey Nechayev, has emphasized the importance of thoroughly completing the investigation into the explosions of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines. He warned that failure to identify and hold accountable all those involved would set a troubling precedent for the future.

"If this crime - the explosion of Nord Stream - is not fully resolved and the perpetrators, including those who ordered it, are not identified, it could establish an undesirable precedent," Nechayev stated. He reiterated Russia’s insistence that the investigation be concluded comprehensively and transparently.

Referring to the numerous media reports speculating about private divers, Nechayev dismissed these versions as unconvincing. "We are eager to see official results of the investigation, properly documented and made public. This transparency is crucial," he stressed. He also noted that many in Germany understand the significance of this matter.

Nechayev pointed out that such developments impact broader issues, including energy cooperation with Russia. He highlighted that the ongoing uncertainty hampers efforts to restore relations, which in turn causes socio-economic harm to Germany.

Earlier, the German newspaper Die Zeit reported that investigators may have identified all the saboteurs involved in the incident. According to the publication, arrest warrants have been issued for six Ukrainian nationals. A seventh suspect, believed to have died in December 2024 during military operations in eastern Ukraine, is also linked to the case. German authorities detailed that the sabotage team comprised a skipper, a coordinator, an explosives expert, and four divers, who arrived at the Baltic Sea site aboard the yacht Andromeda from Rostock.

On September 26, 2022, the explosions caused extensive damage to three Nord Stream lines and the uncommissioned Nord Stream 2. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that Moscow is convinced the attack was carried out with US support. The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has launched a case over an act of international terrorism.

Lisbon funicular cable disconnected before deadly crash: inspectors.

Inspectors investigating the deadly streetcar crash in Lisbon, Portugal, found that two cabins lost stability after the cable linking them disconnected before the funicular came off its rails and killed 16 people Wednesday, including two Canadians.

The Portuguese government’s office for air and rail accident investigations said in a preliminary technical report that the cabins had travelled not more than about six metres, when they suddenly lost the balancing force provided by the cable connecting them.

The office explained that the second cabin turned the other way around while the first cabin kept accelerating in speed despite the brakeman’s efforts to stop the car.

The second cabin then rolled to the left in the direction of travel, eventually losing control and crashing against the wall of a building.

A Quebec couple were identified as victims of the crash that also injured 21 others. Andre Bergeron and Blandine Daux were archeologists, who worked in Quebec’s Culture Department.

Portuguese police said five of the victims were from Portugal, three from the United Kingdom, two from #Canada, two from South Korea, one from the United States, one from France, one from Switzerland, and one from Ukraine.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2025.

#China criticizes Canadian and Australian warships transiting Taiwan Strait.

BEIJING, China — China’s military on Saturday said its forces had followed and warned a Canadian and an Australian warship, which were sailing through the sensitive Taiwan Strait, in a move it criticized as a provocation.

The People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theatre Command said the Canadian frigate Ville de Quebec and the Australian guided-missile destroyer Brisbane were engaged in “trouble-making and provocation.”

“The actions of the Canadians and Australians send the wrong signals and increase security risks,” it said.

A spokesperson said the Canadian armed forces do not comment on sail plans for currently deployed ships.

The spokesperson said the Ville de Quebec is deployed as part of Operation Horizon, meant to promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Ville de Quebec was operating in the Philippine economic zone earlier this week, participating in freedom of navigation exercises, according to a Canadian government statement.

There was no immediate response to a request for comment from the Australian armed forces.

Taiwan’s defense ministry said in a statement that it keeps a close watch on activity in the strait and “dispatches appropriate air and naval forces to ensure the security and stability” of the waterway, which separates Communist China from the democratic island of Taiwan.

The U.S. Navy and, on occasion, ships from allied countries including Canada, Britain and France transit the strait, which they consider an international waterway, around once a month. Taiwan also considers it an international waterway.

China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, says the strategic waterway is part of its territorial waters. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s territorial claims.

China has over the past five years increased its military pressure on the island, including staging war games nearby.

(Reporting by Ryan Woo; Additional reporting by James Pomfret in Hong Kong, Ben Blanchard in Taipei and Anna Mehler Paperny in Toronto; Editing by Tom Hogue, Sharon Singleton and Edmund Klamann)

U.S. tech titans pay homage to #Trump at White House dinner.

Tech world executives showered U.S. President Donald Trump with praise Thursday during a rare dinner that saw the U.S. president host some of the most important players in AI at the White House.

“This is quite a group to get together,” said Meta chief and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, who was seated at Trump’s right side.

At the table were heads of major tech companies including Google-parent Alphabet, Apple, Microsoft and artificial intelligence star OpenAI.

Some of those at the dinner had attended Trump’s inauguration, signaling they were ready to fall in line with the 79-year-old president’s world view -- or at least seek to avoid his ire.

Notably absent from the dinner was multi-billionaire tech tycoon Elon Musk, a former #Trump ally who had a spectacular falling out with the president.

The chief of Tesla and SpaceX put out word in a post on his X social network that he had been invited to the dinner but couldn’t attend, sending someone to represent him.

Companies at the dinner were making huge investments in U.S. data centers and infrastructure to “power the next wave of innovation”, Zuckerberg said.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook voiced thanks for Trump “setting the tone” for the companies to make major investments in U.S. manufacturing.

Trump recently threatened trade sanctions against countries that apply regulations to US tech companies, aiming particularly at the European Union.

“Thank you for being such a pro-business, pro-innovation president,” said OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman.

“It’s a refreshing change.”

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, seated next to First Lady Melania Trump, was less effusive, calling for artificial intelligence to be used to promote international development.

“It’s great we all get together and talk about how the United States could lead in this key area and apply it even to the poorest outside the US, as well as to our great citizens,” said the Microsoft legend turned philanthropist.

Gates cited Operation Warp Speed, Trump’s first term initiative which saw the rapid development of Covid-19 vaccines, as an example of America’s capacity for innovation.

Since taking office in January, Trump has cut international aid and ended investments in the kinds of vaccines deployed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Silicon Valley leaders who did not support Trump during his first term in office changed course with his return to office.

Many have visited the White House to promise heavy investment in the United States, and some have been quick to follow the US president’s lead in ending diversity promotion programs and initiatives to combat online misinformation.

UN probe suggests war crimes by all sides in DR Congo conflict. Rwanda-backed M23 militia and the Congolese military and its affiliates have all committed gross rights violations in eastern DR Congo, UN investigators said Friday, warning of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity.

A United Nations fact-finding mission on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s North and South Kivu provinces determined in a report that all sides in the devastating conflict had committed abuses since late 2024, including summary executions and rampant sexual violence.

The findings “underscore the gravity and widespread nature of violations and abuses committed by all parties to the conflict, including acts that may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity,” the report said.

The eastern DRC, a region bordering Rwanda with abundant natural resources but plagued by non-state armed groups, has suffered extreme violence for more than three decades.

Since taking up arms again at the end of 2021, the M23 armed group has seized swathes of land in the restive region with Rwanda’s backing, triggering a spiralling humanitarian crisis.

A fresh surge of unrest broke out early this year when the M23 captured the key cities of Goma and Bukavu, setting up their own administrations.

The Congolese and Rwandan governments signed a peace deal in June, and the Congolese government signed a separate declaration of principles with the #M23 in July, including a “permanent ceasefire” aimed at halting the conflict.

Rampant sexual violence

“With new reports of violations continuing, both the Congolese and Rwandan governments must take urgent actions to ensure strict respect for international law by their own national forces and affiliated armed groups, while ceasing to support the latter,” the report said.

The fact-finding mission (FFM), established by the UN Human Rights Council in February, said it had documented the failure of all parties to adequately protect civilians, especially during the takeover of Goma, as well as attacks on schools and hospitals.

The M23, after capturing territories, “engaged in a campaign of intimidation and violent repression through a pattern of summary executions, torture and other forms of ill-treatment”, the report said.

It also decried forced recruitment, including of children, as well as “widespread” sexual violence.

The FFM said it had “reasonable grounds to believe that M23 members may have committed... the crimes against humanity of murder, severe deprivation of liberty, torture, rape and sexual slavery”.

It faulted Rwanda not only for backing the M23 but found its armed forces had directly committed violations on DRC territory, and noted “credible allegations concerning the covert presence of RDF personnel within M23”.

Child soldiers

The investigators also documented grave violations committed by the DRC armed forces and affiliated armed groups, like the Wazalendo.

The FFM, among other things, documented “deliberate killings of civilians” by the DRC military after in-fighting with the Wazalendo.

And it identified “a pattern of widespread use of sexual violence and looting” by members of the armed forces and of Wazalendo during the retreat from the front lines in January and February.

It also determined that Wazalendo fighters recruited children under the age of 15, including for use in combat, with girls also “used for sexual purposes”.

“The atrocities described in this report are horrific,” UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement.

“It is imperative to promptly and independently investigate all allegations of violations with a view to ensuring accountability and victims’ right to truth, justice and reparations, especially guarantees of non-repetition.”

The FFM’s work will conclude once it presents its findings to the Human Rights Council, which kicks off its final session of the year next week.

In February, the council had ordered the creation of a commission of inquiry (COI) -- the highest investigation in its armoury -- to carry on the probe once the FFM winds up, but funding cuts across the UN system have delayed its establishment.

Turk stressed Friday that the swift creation of the COI “to continue this vital work is essential”.

Chaotic showdown over Guatemalan children exposes fault lines in Trump’s deportation push.


HARLINGEN, Texas — Laura Peña knew she had two hours to stop the children she represents from being deported home to Guatemala. She and other lawyers and advocates around the country were just starting to get word that Saturday night of Labour Day weekend that migrant children had just been woken up and were heading to the airport.

Hours of confusion ensued, including a frantic phone call to a judge at 2:36 a.m. It was remarkably similar to a chaotic March weekend when the Trump administration deported hundreds of Venezuelans to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador despite frantic attempts by attorneys and an intervention by a judge who came to court on a Saturday night in civilian dress.

This time, the attorneys managed to block the flights, at least for two weeks, but the episode has raised questions about how truthful the administration was in its initial accounts.

A Guatemalan government report obtained by The Associated Press from a U.S.-based human rights group says 50 of 115 families contacted by investigators said they wanted their children to stay in the U.S., undermining a key Trump administration claim that they wanted their children back in Guatemala. Another 59 families wouldn’t allow government teams in their homes, believing that refusing to co-operate would make it more likely their children could remain in the U.S., according to the report.

Many questions remain, including a full rundown of how old the children were and how many the administration planned to remove that night.

While some answers may emerge in court, a reconstruction of the rapid-fire events, based on interviews and government documents, illuminates the latest clash between the administration’s desire for mass deportations and longstanding legal protections for migrants.
Children told to pack a bag

Weeks of quiet planning led to at least 76 children boarding planes at Texas airports in Harlingen and El Paso.

Peña, who represents migrant children at the South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project, kissed her three-month-old goodbye and raced to a shelter. While driving, she got calls about children in other shelters being loaded onto buses.

Children were in the lobby with packed bags when she arrived, including one boy who was “almost catatonic,” terrified he would be murdered like a relative back home if he was returned, Peña said.

Three teens living with foster families in the Dallas area got a four-hour notice, said Jennifer Anzardo Valdes, director of children’s legal services at the International Rescue Committee, which represents them. “They all spoke about how they were woken up in the middle of the night and told to pack a bag,” she said.
A judge is jolted awake in the middle of the night

U.S. District Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan of Washington was jolted awake at 2:36 a.m. with an emergency request to stop the flights. The judge said in court Sunday that she left a voicemail for a Justice Department lawyer at 3:33 a.m. She ordered a halt to the deportations at 4:22 a.m.

“I have the government attempting to remove unaccompanied minors from the country in the wee hours of the morning on a holiday weekend, which is surprising,” said Sooknanan, who was appointed during the final weeks of Joe Biden’s presidency. “Absent action by the courts all of those children would have been returned to Guatemala, potentially to very dangerous situations.”

Drew Ensign, a Justice Department attorney, said it was possible that one plane had taken off but returned before the children were deported.

The Trump administration argued that it acted at Guatemala’s behest. White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller accused the judge of “effectively kidnapping these migrant children and refusing to let them return home to their parents in their home country.”

The Guatemalan government report about the children’s families raises serious questions about the administration’s version of events.

One family said if their daughter was returned to Guatemala they would do everything to get her out because her life was threatened, according to the report.

Lucrecia Prera, Guatemala’s child advocate who prepared the report that raises questions about the Trump administration’s claims, told the AP that many families suspected her office was pushing for their children to be returned.

“We want to clarify that we are respectful of and unconnected to the process happening in the United States,” she said. “They are Guatemalan children and our obligation is to protect them.”

The children were led off the planes after hours on the tarmac and returned to their shelters.
A 2008 law requires children appear before an immigration judge

Children began crossing the border alone in large numbers in 2014, peaking at 152,060 in the 2022 fiscal year. July’s arrest tally translates to an annual clip of 5,712 arrests, reflecting how illegal crossings have dropped to their lowest levels in six decades.

Guatemalans accounted for 32 per cent of residents at government-run holding facilities last year, followed by Hondurans, Mexicans and El Salvadorans. A 2008 law requires children to appear before an immigration judge with an opportunity to pursue asylum, unless they are from Canada and Mexico. The vast majority are released from shelters to parents, legal guardians or immediate family while their cases wind through court.

It is unclear how many children who boarded at Texas airports in Harlingen and El Paso over Labour Day weekend — as well as any who were on the way — were allowed their day in court as required by the 2008 law. Lawyers for many of the Guatemalan children in the shelter system have said they still have active cases they want to pursue so they can stay in the U.S.

The Labour Day weekend drama can be traced to July, when Guatemala’s immigration chief said the government planned to bring back 341 children from shelters overseen by the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. They were nearing 18 and Guatemala didn’t want them transferred to immigration detention centres for adults.

But attorneys representing Guatemalan clients said the administration targeted kids young enough to be in elementary school on Sunday and either woke them up from shelters or placed them on a bus heading to the airport, countering the claim that only those close to aging out were targeted.

Valdes, of the International Rescue Committee, said some girls, all teenagers, were on a bus for hours, never actually making it to an airport and eventually being returned to a south Texas shelter.
Lawyers sensed something was afoot heading into the holiday weekend

“We started hearing from legal service providers about strange calls they’d received from some Guatemalan children’s parents or relatives in Guatemala who were told by Guatemalan officials that their children were going to be deported from the U.S.,” said Shaina Aber, executive director of the Acacia Center for Justice.

The children were still in immigration court proceedings, said Aber, whose group runs a network of legal services providers. Guatemalan consulates told lawyers for their children that they made the calls at the request of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, she said.

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, said Friday that as many as 700 Guatemalan children could be sent home. Lawyers who checked electronic court dockets found that future court dates had disappeared.

At the Guatemalan airport Sunday, families prepared for their children’s return. Leslie Lima, from San Marcos in western Guatemala, came to see her 17-year-old son Gabriel four months after he left home and was detained after crossing the border near El Paso. Since the imminent return of the minors was publicized last week, Lima had been worried about Gabriel.

“We will receive him here, but I hope that he can stay (in the U.S.) and accomplish his dreams,” she said.

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo has said his administration told the U.S. that they’re willing to receive “all unaccompanied minors, who wanted to return to Guatemala voluntarily” and would welcome anyone who is ordered to leave the U.S.

The judge’s order blocking deportation of any Guatemalan children who don’t have final orders of removal expires in 14 days.

Children’s advocates and lawyers believe the chaos isn’t over.

___

Santana reported from #Washington and Perez reported from Guatemala City. Elliot Spagat contributed from San Diego.

Rebecca Santana, Valerie Gonzalez And Sonia Pérez D., The Associated Press