In brief
Lucia Lopez Belloza, a 19-year-old Babson College student, was deported to Honduras on November 20, 2023, while attempting to visit her family for Thanksgiving. U.S. Attorney Mark Sauter stated that she had missed several opportunities to contest a removal order issued when she was a child. Her attorney claims Lopez Belloza was unaware of her immigration status and faced obstacles in accessing information from ICE. While she is now staying with her grandparents, legal representatives continue to navigate the complexities of her case.
Lucia Lopez Belloza, a 19-year-old freshman at Babson College, experienced a significant turn of events when she was deported to Honduras while trying to visit her family for Thanksgiving. Detained at Boston's airport on November 20, her removal highlights the complexities surrounding immigration law, as she allegedly missed multiple chances to contest a removal order issued years ago.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Sauter explained that she had already been relocated to Texas on her way out of the country when a Massachusetts judge issued a stay on November 21, stating that the judge lacked jurisdiction in her case at that point. In response, her attorney Todd Pomerleau argued that Lopez Belloza was unaware of the longstanding order against her and faced insurmountable challenges in locating her during the deportation process.
According to Pomerleau, Lopez Belloza had no means of understanding her rights, as an internal ICE database provided no information on her status after her initial call to family upon her arrest. We literally have to guess not only where our client is, but why they’re being held because they don’t give us any information, he expressed in a statement.
The government's position indicates that Lopez Belloza could have pursued options to appeal her case, yet Pomerleau maintains that these were not feasible given her status as a minor at the time. Lopez Belloza, who came to the U.S. in 2014 at the age of 8, had reportedly been ordered removed in 2016, a status she allegedly only learned of recently.
Lopez Belloza's circumstances have left her traumatized, but she is reportedly working with Babson College to continue her studies remotely. Pomerleau has vowed to ensure her future remains bright despite these challenges, emphasizing her resilience in facing such a difficult situation.
