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College Freshman’s Sudden Deportation to Honduras Sparks Due Process Concerns
A Babson College student’s Thanksgiving trip home to surprise her family turned into a nightmare on November 20th, when she was detained at Boston Logan international Airport and deported to Honduras just two days later, raising questions about openness and due process in immigration enforcement.
Any Lucía López Belloza, 19, arrived in the U.S. with her parents nearly 12 years ago seeking asylum, fleeing insecurity and crime in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Her father, Francis López, explained that the family feared for their daughter’s safety, prompting their move to the United States. while their asylum request was ultimately denied, López alleges they were never informed of the need to appeal to avoid a potential deportation order.
The freshman, studying business at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, was moments away from boarding her flight to austin, Texas, when she was informed of a problem with her boarding pass. According to her attorney, Todd Pomerleau, she was then “surrounded, handcuffed and ‘dragged out of the airport.'” Following her arrest, she was transported to Texas and shackled at the wrists, waist, and ankles before being placed on a flight back to Honduras.
“She’s absolutely heartbroken,” Pomerleau stated in an interview with The Associated Press. “Her college dream has just been shattered.” López had envisioned using her education to help her father establish his own tailor shop.
López was reportedly told at the time of her arrest that a deportation order was in place,a claim her parents were unaware of.Her father shared that his employer had generously arranged and paid for her travel to texas as a Thanksgiving surprise.
The department of Homeland Security (DHS) maintains that Any received “full due process” and that an immigration judge ordered her deportation in 2015.A DHS spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, confirmed that she was afterward removed from the country.
However,Pomerleau strongly disputes this characterization,stating,”They’re holding her responsible for somthing they claim happened a decade ago that she’s entirely unaware of and not showing any of the proof.” He further noted that a search of the Executive Office for Immigration Review database failed to locate the original deportation order.
Adding a layer of complexity,a federal judge issued an emergency order the day after López’s arrest,temporarily prohibiting the government from moving her out of Massachusetts or the U.S. for at least 72 hours.
Experts suggest that once a deportation order is finalized, returning to the U.S. is exceedingly tough. Nayna Gupta, policy director for the American immigration Council in Washington, explained that individuals with final orders of removal face meaningful hurdles in seeking reentry.
Any is currently staying with her grandparents in Honduras, grappling with the abrupt disruption to her education and future. She expressed her devastation to The Boston Globe, stating, “I have worked so hard to be able to be at Babson my first semester, that was my dream. I’m losing everything.” She also voiced her concern about sharing the news with her parents and younger sisters, ages 2 and 5, and the uncertainty surrounding her ability to continue her studies.
Supporters have launched a fundraising campaign through Mass Deportation Defense, a nonprofit clinic dedicated to preventing unjust deportations and protecting due process rights, to assist any.
