Teen's Thanksgiving visit with family turns into a nightmare as she is deported to Honduras

A 19-year-old Babson College student from Massachusetts has been deported to Honduras after trying to fly to Austin, Texas, to surprise her family for Thanksgiving. Any Lucia Lopez Belloza, a business major at Babson College in Wellesley, who arrived in the U.S. in 2014 at the age of eight, was stopped at Boston Logan International Airport last Thursday just before boarding her flight, despite having cleared security without issue.

Her lawyer, Todd Pomerleau, stated that Lopez Belloza encountered a problem when scanning her boarding pass and was referred to a customer service desk, where she was subsequently taken into federal custody. "They wouldnt tell her why she was being detained," Pomerleau told The Boston Globe. "She didnt understand it at all."

Lopez Belloza was transported to ICEs Burlington field office in an unmarked vehicle. Ironically, she was later flown to Texas, only to be deported to Honduras, a country she had not lived in since childhood. It took 48 hours before she was able to contact her parents from her grandparents home in San Pedro Sula, missing the holiday with her younger sisters and worrying about her future.

Speaking to CBS Austin, Pomerleau sharply criticized the detention as an unconstitutional bag job, describing Lopez Belloza as a Dreamer living a draconian nightmare right now. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed that she was arrested on November 20 at Boston Logan International Airport and noted that an immigration judge had ordered her removal in 2015, with Lopez Belloza remaining in the U.S. illegally since then.

Lopez Belloza expressed her distress to The Boston Globe, saying, I have worked so hard to attend Babson College. This was my dream. Im losing everything. Nayna Gupta, policy director at the American Immigration Council, stated that Lopez Belloza was unaware of a removal order issued in 2017, which is not uncommon as notices are often sent to incorrect addresses.

Gupta added that individuals with final removal orders are extremely vulnerable under current deportation policies. Court documents indicate that a federal judge had previously barred her removal from the U.S. and restricted her transfer outside Massachusetts, orders which appear to have been ignored.

Pomerleau described Lopez Belloza as a minor under immigration law, a college student with no criminal record, whose constitutional rights were violated due to the abrupt nature of her detention. Family friend Ricky Soto, who arranged her travel plans, said the experience was shocking and terrifying for her. He also noted that her family had faced challenges since moving to the U.S., but were proud of her scholarship to Babson.

Pomerleau confirmed that Lopez Belloza is deeply saddened, misses her family, and fears she may not complete her finals in the coming weeks. I told her, Were going to fight like hell until we bring you back, he said.

Commentary: The Unforeseen Consequences of Immigration Enforcement on Students

The recent deportation of Lucia Lopez Belloza, a 19-year-old Babson College student, raises significant concerns about the current state of immigration enforcement, particularly regarding individuals who have lived in the U.S. for most of their lives. Lopez Belloza, who arrived in the U.S. as an 8-year-old and is now a business major at Babson, was detained just before her flight to Austin, Texas, to surprise her family for Thanksgiving. Despite having cleared security without issue, she found herself facing an abrupt and unexpected detention at Boston Logan International Airport.

Lopez Belloza’s case highlights the vulnerability of undocumented individuals, especially those who, like her, may not be aware of past removal orders. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that she had an outstanding order of removal dating back to 2015, a fact that she, like many others in similar situations, did not know about. Notices for such orders are often sent to incorrect addresses, and in Lopez Belloza’s case, she remained unaware of her legal status until the moment of her detention.

Her lawyer, Todd Pomerleau, and advocacy groups like the American Immigration Council have criticized the handling of the case, particularly the lack of transparency surrounding her detention. Lopez Belloza, a college student with no criminal record, was treated like a criminal despite her deep ties to the U.S. and her promising future as a student. The fact that a federal judge had previously barred her removal and restricted her transfer outside Massachusetts, only for these orders to be ignored, further complicates the legal questions surrounding her case.

While Lopez Belloza's deportation is a legal matter, the human element of her situation cannot be overlooked. For her, Thanksgiving was not only a missed holiday with family but also the start of a troubling and uncertain future. As she faces the daunting task of rebuilding her life in Honduras, far from the community she has spent most of her life in, the question arises: How can the immigration system balance enforcement with the needs of individuals who have built lives in the U.S. over many years?

Sources:

• ‘A Dreamer living a draconian nightmare’: Teen flying to see family at Thanksgiving deported to Honduras