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A US judge has issued a temporary block against a government plan that would have kept migrant youth in detention after their 18th birthdays, blocking their transfer to facilities for adults that supporters said were planned for this weekend.

Legal Ruling Issued in Washington DC

On Saturday, US federal judge Rudolph Contreras in the capital delivered a temporary restraining order directing US federal immigration authorities to cease transferring unaccompanied immigrant children into detention for adults once they attained the age of majority.

Contreras ruled that systematically holding these individuals breaches an previous legal decision that explicitly prohibited such measures. The ruling contributes to a growing list of federal clashes over controversial immigration policies, particularly those involving young people.

Recent Immigration Initiatives

Just a day earlier, it was reported that the administration had proposed providing immigrant children financial incentives to self-deport, with a "single payment for relocation" given to children in return for their willing exit.

"These measures push children to abandon their legal claims and go back to a existence filled with terror and risk without ever getting proper legal consideration," stated Murad Awawdeh, leader of a migrant rights organization. "The disorder inherent in this policy will harm households and neighborhoods – and it is targeted to hurt children."

Legal Framework for Unaccompanied Minors

Under federal law, children without parents are housed in facilities managed by the office of refugee resettlement, which operates under the Department of Health and Human Services, not immigration enforcement.

Contreras's previous decision mandated that when these children turn 18, they must be released to "the most accommodating environment possible", assuming they aren't deemed a danger to themselves or others and aren't likely to flee. Many are assigned to family members or caregivers.

Implementation Issues

Regardless of the court order, lawyers for young migrants have also reported receiving alerts that immigration authorities had instructed shelters to cease discharging soon-to-be 18-year-olds, even those with authorized exit arrangements, and instead get ready to transfer them to adult detention.

Broader Context

The administration is also facing accusations of resuming the method of separating families in order to pressure migrants and refugees to depart the country, as legal experts and former officials have spoken out against the practice.

In multiple instances, officials have taken action against migrants who contested removal decisions by forcibly separating them from their children. The authorities misclassified the children as "unaccompanied minors" before placing them in government-run shelters or foster care.

Current Activities

It was also disclosed in recent months that federal agents are proactively searching for unaccompanied immigrant children in operations nationwide with a view to deporting them or pursuing criminal cases against them or adult sponsors sheltering them legally in the US.

Over the past several years, the administration has imposed stricter screening before discharging minors to family members or guardians in the US, extending the average time minors spend in detention. That process, which now involves fingerprinting, DNA tests and home visits, has slowed releases considerably.

Statistical Data

Statistics published recently also revealed that migrants without offense history are now the largest group detained in US immigration detention, surpassing the number of individuals with criminal accusations.