A prestigious American business college has pledged to support a student who was detained and deported to Honduras while attempting to fly home for a Thanksgiving surprise.
Detention at Boston Logan Airport
Any Lucia Lopez Belloza, a 19-year-old freshman at Babson College in Massachusetts, was taken into custody at Boston Logan International Airport on 20 November 2025. She was trying to board a flight to Texas, where she planned to surprise her family for the holiday.
According to her legal representative, despite the existence of a court order that specifically prohibited the US government from moving her out of Massachusetts or the country, she was removed to Honduras just two days later, on 22 November. Lopez Belloza, whose family emigrated from Honduras when she was seven years old, is now staying with her grandparents.
College Response and Community Support
In response to the incident, Babson College's Dean of Campus Life, Caitlin Capozzi, informed faculty and staff of the detention. In a communication, she stated that while the institution's ability to share specific details was limited by law, their focus was on supporting the student and her family.
"Relevant faculty and staff have been informed so they can provide appropriate academic and community support in the student’s absence," Dean Capozzi wrote. She confirmed the college, which has approximately 2,800 undergraduate students at its Wellesley campus, was following established protocols and provided resources for affected students.
College President Stephen Spinelli echoed this in an online message, citing legal and privacy considerations for not commenting further. He acknowledged the news might be unsettling for a community potentially already navigating uncertainty.
Conflicting Claims and Legal Questions
The case is shrouded in conflicting official statements. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) claims an immigration judge ordered Lopez Belloza deported back in 2015. However, her attorney, Todd Pomerleau, has stated he has been unable to locate any record of this original deportation order.
When questioned about the emergency court order that should have prevented her removal, the Department of Homeland Security provided a previous statement that only confirmed her detention, failing to address the apparent violation of the judicial directive. This discrepancy raises significant questions about the adherence to legal due process in immigration enforcement actions.
The case has drawn parallels to other high-profile detentions, occurring in a climate where immigration policy remains a deeply contentious and closely watched issue on both sides of the Atlantic.
