In a heartbreaking case that has shaken the lives of a Massachusetts college student, the Trump administration has acknowledged a “mistake” in the deportation of 19-year-old Lucía López Belloza. The freshman at Babson College was detained at Boston’s airport on 20 November and flown to Honduras two days later, despite an emergency court order directing the government to keep her in the United States for at least 72 hours.
López Belloza, whose family emigrated from Honduras to the US in 2014 when she was seven, was caught in a bureaucratic nightmare. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer mistakenly believed the court order no longer applied once she was out of Massachusetts, and failed to notify other ICE officers that her removal should be halted.
In court, the government admitted to violating the judge’s order, with Assistant US Attorney Mark Sauter apologising “on behalf of the government” and saying the employee understood “he made a mistake.” The ICE officer also acknowledged that he did not notify the enforcement office in Texas that the removal mission needed to be cancelled.
Despite the government’s concession of error, the case has taken a devastating toll on López Belloza. As she was being flown to Honduras, she recalled thinking, “I guess this is where my dreams are gone.” The young student, who was working towards a business degree to open a tailoring shop with her father, feared her aspirations might be shattered.
Federal Judge Richard Stearns, while appreciating the government’s acknowledgement of the mistake, questioned whether he had jurisdiction over the case. He suggested that López Belloza could explore applying for a student visa, but the damage has already been done.
“Those hours I was detained, it was so horrible,” López Belloza told the Associated Press. “Knowing that it was a mistake, it does hurt me.”
The incident has sparked outrage, with López Belloza’s lawyer, Todd Pomerleau, arguing that the government’s actions deprived her of due process. The student’s family in Texas also faced a distressing encounter with ICE officers, who reportedly behaved aggressively towards them but ultimately took no further action.
This case serves as a sobering reminder of the human toll of immigration enforcement, even when the government acknowledges its own mistakes. As the legal battle continues, the lives of Lucía López Belloza and her family remain in flux, their dreams and aspirations hanging in the balance.
