At a Glance
- Federal lawyer concedes 19-year-old Babson freshman Any Lucia Lopez Belloza was wrongly deported
- Student detained at Logan Airport while flying to surprise family in Texas for Thanksgiving
- Court notes say government violated stay of removal order; no clear path back yet
- Why it matters: A rare admission of error leaves a scholarship student stranded abroad with classes starting next week
A federal courtroom in Boston became the stage for an unusual apology Tuesday when the Trump administration acknowledged it wrongly deported a Babson College student late last year.
The Detention and Deportation
Any Lucia Lopez Belloza, a 19-year-old freshman on a full scholarship, intended to surprise her family in Texas by flying home for Thanksgiving. Instead, immigration agents detained her at Logan Airport on Nov. 22 and sent her to Honduras the same day.
Electronic clerk’s notes from the hearing state: “The Government forthrightly acknowledges that it made a mistake and, this incident aside, has a record of complying with stay of removal orders issued by court.”
Court Admission and Contempt Motion
The concession came after student attorney Todd Pomerleau filed a motion for contempt. “School starts next Tuesday. She has no assurance she’s coming back,” Pomerleau told News Of Losangeles. “We sued a week before Thanksgiving. They’ve made no attempt to facilitate her return. We needed to ask for contempt of court just to get an apology, and we have no remedy yet.”
According to the electronic notes, the judge voiced skepticism that civil contempt would fix the situation, instead calling Lopez Belloza “an innocent victim” and exploring ways to mediate her return.
Possible Paths for Return
The court is weighing several options:
- Issuing a student visa so she can resume her fully funded studies
- Reopening her removal case and granting parole or admission to address legal issues
No final order has been issued, and the government has not yet outlined concrete next steps to bring her back to campus.
Key Takeaways
- A federal lawyer admitted the deportation violated a court-ordered stay of removal
- Lopez Belloza remains in Honduras with classes resuming imminently
- The court is considering visa or parole options but has not guaranteed reentry
