Judge Blocked Deportation — So Why Did Authorities Put This College Student on a Plane Anyway?

A 19-year-old Babson College freshman was deported to Honduras last week after being detained at Boston Logan International Airport—despite a federal judge issuing an emergency order blocking her removal, according to multiple reports.

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Any Lucia Lopez Belloza, who came to the United States from Honduras when she was around 7 years old, was flying home to Texas to surprise her family for Thanksgiving when airport officials flagged a supposed “ticket issue.” Instead of being allowed to board, she was taken into custody, transferred between facilities, and ultimately deported within roughly 48 hours.

Her attorney, Todd Pomerleau, says Lopez Belloza was shackled at her wrists and ankles during the process, and that she was never properly informed of any prior removal order. He told reporters that the only immigration record he could locate indicated her case was closed in 2017—contradicting ICE’s claim that a valid 2015 deportation order justified the sudden removal.

Multiple outlets, including ABC News, NBC Boston, and the Associated Press, report that a federal judge issued an emergency stay shortly after her detention, instructing authorities not to remove or transfer Lopez Belloza outside Massachusetts while the court reviewed her case. Despite that order, she was moved to Texas that same night and deported the next day.

Advocates say the case highlights growing concerns about due-process violations under the administration’s immigration enforcement policies, particularly when it comes to young people who have lived in the U.S. for most of their lives.

Meanwhile, Lopez Belloza is now in Honduras, separated from her family as her legal team prepares to challenge the deportation. Babson College said it is offering support to her classmates and remains in contact with her family.

The Department of Homeland Security has not yet released the disputed 2015 removal order to the public.