Lawyer Demands Judge to Order Return of Mistakenly Deported Babson Student

BOSTON — A federal judge is being asked to require the government to devise a plan for the return of a Babson College student who was mistakenly deported to Honduras just before Thanksgiving. This request was made by her attorney in a court document filed on Friday.

Lucia Lopez Belloza, a freshman at Babson College, was detained at Boston’s airport on November 20 while preparing to fly home to surprise her family for the holidays. She was deported two days later despite a court order intended to keep her in the U.S. for at least 72 hours. Government lawyers acknowledged their violation of the judge’s order but argued that the court lacked jurisdiction over the matter.

“Petitioner is not asking this court to micromanage foreign affairs or dictate outcomes beyond the Government's power,” stated her lawyer, Todd Pomerleau. “Instead, the petition seeks a bounded, transparent process: requiring the Government to identify and pursue steps to return the petitioner to the U.S.”

Pomerleau is requesting that the judge mandate the government to formulate a plan within 14 days. Possible solutions include returning Belloza for the urgent purpose of restoring her status in the U.S. or allowing her to proceed with a pending T visa application, which is available for victims of human trafficking. However, he noted that obtaining a student visa could be complicated due to her existing removal order.

Currently, Lopez Belloza, who emigrated from Honduras to the U.S. in 2014, is staying with her grandparents and studying remotely. She is not in detention and recently visited an aunt in El Salvador.

This incident is part of a troubling pattern where deportations occur despite existing court orders. In previous cases, individuals have been returned to the U.S. after similar violations of their legal rights.

At a recent federal court hearing in Boston, the government contended that the court lacked jurisdiction because the legal action was filed merely hours after Belloza's deportation. Nonetheless, they acknowledged the breach of the court's order.

U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns recognized the government's error, labeling it a “tragic” bureaucratic mistake, but he also questioned his jurisdiction over the case.

Pomerleau emphasized that Lopez Belloza was deported in violation of the court order and that the government’s actions deprived her of due process. He expressed hope that the government would show leniency and facilitate her return.