Two Weeks for Justice - Judge Orders Government to Return Wrongfully Deported Student

It is one of those decisions in which a court not only speaks the law, but demands responsibility. Federal Judge Richard G. Stearns of the U.S. District Court in Boston has ordered the government to bring Any Lucia López Belloza back to the United States within two weeks. The 19 year old Babson College student had been flown to Honduras in November despite a court ordered stay of removal. Now it stands in black and white what we have been writing for months: it was an error by the authorities - and that error must be corrected.

Any Lucia López Belloza was arrested on November 20 at Boston Logan Airport. She was on her way to Houston to surprise her family for Thanksgiving. Two days later she was on a plane to Honduras. At that time, a judicial order was already in place prohibiting her removal while her case was under review. Nevertheless, she was taken out of the country. Reporting revealed that an ICE employee had failed in the internal system to activate a notice that would have informed other offices about the pending court proceedings. A technical step with existential consequences.

A family visit planned, an entire life shattered: The case of Any Lucia Lopez Belloza - The deportation that should never have happened

(Our article from November 29, 2025)

She wanted to surprise her parents, spend a few free days at home, tell them what the first semester at a respected college feels like. Instead, Any Lucia Lopez Belloza’s trip ended in handcuffs, on a military base, in a Texas detention center, and finally in Honduras, a country she had not seen since childhood. And all of that despite a federal judge explicitly ordering that she was not allowed to leave Massachusetts or the United States. The sequence of events reads like a story that should not be possible, and yet it is bitter reality. On the morning of November 20, the 19-year-old stood at Boston airport with her ticket to Texas in hand, luggage checked, security cleared. A federal agent suddenly told her there was a problem with the boarding pass. Minutes later she found herself surrounded by armed ICE officers, without her phone, without a way out, completely surprised by what they told her: that there was a deportation order from 2015.

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Judge Richard G. Stearns called it in his eight page decision a “bureaucratic mishap.” At the same time, he makes clear that the government here “confused the prerogatives of the executive with those of the judiciary.” The government had admitted “that it did wrong,” he wrote. “Now it is time to make amends.” A court can hardly formulate more clearly that patience and excuses have run out. As early as January, a federal prosecutor had acknowledged that the deportation was based on an error. But instead of voluntarily bringing the student back, the government refused any correction. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to issue an expedited student visa. In a court filing dated February 6, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley stated that it was “not feasible” to issue such a visa because the Secretary of State lacked the necessary authority. The government would “respectfully decline” to bring López back. That phrasing now stands in sharp contrast to the judicial order.

The court demands concrete steps. As early as February 18 and - if necessary - on February 26, the government must report what “tangible measures” it has taken to enable her return. No later than February 27, the result must be presented. It is a decision based on civil contempt of court. Unlike a criminal sanction, the issue here is not punishment, but enforcement. Yet the message is clear: should the government delay again, a formal finding of contempt looms. López had previously been subject to a deportation order from 2015. In 2018, her case had been referred to ICE. She says she knew nothing about it and had lived in the United States for years without incident. Since her removal, she has been living with her grandmother in Honduras. She continues her studies remotely, struggling with exams, with the time difference, with a situation no young person should have to endure. When she was informed of the decision on Friday, she broke down in tears.

The Department of Homeland Security has so far defended its actions. Spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin stated that López had received full due process, including a final order of removal. But that is no longer the point here. The issue is the violation of a judicial order dated November 21 that explicitly prohibited her deportation. A state that ignores its own courts calls more than an individual case into question. The judge does not spare criticism. He accuses the government of having “passed the buck” for weeks and played for time. This wording comes from the courtroom, not from a political debate. It is a sober assessment of institutional conduct. And it fits into a series of cases in which federal courts have had to set strict limits for the executive branch. Most recently, another federal judge had already found “probable cause” for criminal contempt because orders regarding deportation flights had not been followed.

The López case is therefore more than a personal tragedy. It is a decisive moment for whether court decisions are still binding when they become politically inconvenient. Judge Stearns is now giving the government a final deadline. If it fails to comply with the order, the next step is likely to be a formal finding of contempt. For us, this ruling also marks the end of a long struggle. We have reported on her case, documented it, followed up. We have advocated for her return because this is not about party politics, but about the fundamental question of whether mistakes are acknowledged and corrected. After months of waiting, a clear deadline now stands. Two weeks to remedy an injustice. It is now up to the government to show that court orders are not nonbinding recommendations. Any Lucia López Belloza has waited long enough.