A lawyer for a Massachusetts university student, who was erroneously deported to Honduras just before the Thanksgiving holiday, is demanding a federal judge compel the US government to formulate a concrete plan for her return.
Violation of a Court Order
Any Lucia Lopez Belloza, a freshman at Babson College, was detained at Boston Logan International Airport on 20 November 2025 as she prepared to board a flight to surprise her family. Despite an emergency court order issued to keep her in the United States for a minimum of 72 hours, she was flown to Honduras just two days later, on 22 November.
Government lawyers have admitted in court that they violated the judge's directive. However, they contend the court now lacks jurisdiction over the matter. In a filing on Friday 16 January 2026, the student's attorney, Todd Pomerleau, argued the petition does not ask the court to manage foreign affairs, but rather to "require the Government to identify and pursue steps available to it" to facilitate her return, potentially involving both the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department.
Legal Arguments and Precedents
Pomerleau has requested the judge order the government to produce a return plan within 14 days. Suggested scenarios include bringing Lopez Belloza back to the US to restore her previous status and allow her to pursue proper immigration proceedings. She could also continue her application for a T visa, granted to victims of human trafficking, or seek a student visa, though the latter is complicated by her existing removal order.
The government maintains her deportation was lawful, citing a 2016 removal order for Lopez Belloza and her mother, which was upheld on appeal in 2017. They argue she could have pursued further legal avenues to stay. At a hearing in Boston, prosecutors also claimed the court lacked jurisdiction because the legal action was filed several hours after she had already been transferred to Texas en route out of the country.
Pomerleau countered that the deportation was a clear violation of the 21 November order, depriving her of due process. He referenced previous cases where individuals were deported despite court orders, including Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was eventually returned after Supreme Court intervention, and a Guatemalan man identified as O.C.G.
A 'Tragic' Bureaucratic Error
US District Judge Richard Stearns acknowledged the government's admission of error, calling it a "tragic" bureaucratic mistake. He appeared sceptical about holding the government in contempt, noting the violation did not seem intentional, and questioned whether he had jurisdiction, leaning towards the government's argument about the timing of the court filing.
Lopez Belloza, whose family emigrated from Honduras to the US in 2014, is currently staying with grandparents and studying remotely. She is not detained and was recently visiting an aunt in El Salvador. A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ongoing case.
