Attempts by Canadian and Guatemalan authorities to seize child members of the Lev Tahor sect have been blocked by a temporary court ruling.
A judge ruled Saturday that the children can stay with the adults until Monday, when they will go before a family court judge.
The temporary ruling found that Canadian officials working with the office of Guatemala's solicitor-general did not provide sufficient evidence to proceed with a removal order.
At least two Lev Tahor families are known to have left Canada for Guatemala last week in the face of child custody hearings.
About 200 members of the sect settled in Chatham last year.
They fled Quebec authorities who said they weren't being educated according to the provincial curriculum.
The group has denied all allegations of mistreatment.
