A 19-year-old college student from Honduras, living her American dream, found herself abruptly deported despite a court order protecting her, leaving her future and family in painful limbo.
A Sudden Detention and a Life Upended
Any Lucia Lopez Belloza was preparing for a holiday surprise when her life was turned upside down. On November 20, the Babson College freshman was detained at Boston's Logan International Airport as she attempted to board a flight to Texas to see her family for Thanksgiving. Just two days later, she was on a deportation flight to Honduras, a country she had not seen since she was eight years old.
"It just shocked me. I don't know, like I was numb," Lopez Belloza told The Associated Press in a phone interview from Honduras, where she is now staying with her grandparents. She is a student with no criminal record and was unaware of any active removal order against her.
A Government Mistake and a Legal Battle
The deportation occurred even after a Massachusetts judge had ruled she must not leave the United States. The Department of Homeland Security has since apologized, acknowledging that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer mistakenly kept her name on a deportation flight list.
"Knowing that it was a mistake, it does hurt me. Based on that mistake that they made, my life did a 360 change," she said.
Her lawyer, Todd Pomerleau, filed an emergency request in court on Friday, asking a federal judge to order the Trump administration to devise a plan to bring her back to the U.S. He cited similar past cases where individuals were wrongfully deported.
Harsh Detention and Shattered Dreams
Lopez Belloza described a traumatic detention experience. After refusing to sign deportation documents at the airport, she was transferred to an ICE holding cell with only a thermal blanket. She spent two nights among 17 other women in a space so cramped they could not lie down to sleep.
"Those hours I was detained, it was so horrible," she recalled. Her mood darkened as she boarded the final flight to Honduras, feeling her dreams slip away. "I guess this is where my dreams are gone," she thought. "Because in Honduras, if you want to dream big, it's like you have to have a lot of money... But in the United States, dreams are possible."
A Glimmer of Hope from the Court
In a late Friday ruling, U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns found he lacked jurisdiction over her habeas petition because it was filed after she was flown to Texas. However, he strongly urged the government to find a way to remedy its error.
Judge Stearns suggested U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio could issue her a non-immigrant student visa, allowing her to resume her studies at Babson College while her immigration status is resolved. He gave the government three weeks to propose a solution before he would consider issuing a further order.
Pomerleau called the ruling "excellent news" as it pressures the administration to act. Babson College has offered Lopez Belloza support as she attempts to study remotely, but her situation remains precarious, and her family in Texas lives in fear.
"They're scared. They're scared to step outside because of how everything is," she said of her parents, who are also in the immigration process. "They're traumatized. I'm traumatized." Her case highlights the human cost of immigration enforcement errors and the complex legal battles that follow.
