The Trump administration has apologised in court for the "mistake" that led to the deportation of a Massachusetts college student who was detained at Boston airport and flown to Honduras despite an emergency court order blocking her removal.
Any Lucía López Belloza, a 19-year-old freshman at Babson College in Wellesley, was detained on 20 November and removed two days later. A judge had ordered that she remain in the United States for at least 72 hours to allow legal proceedings. Her lawyer, Todd Pomerleau, said the deportation violated the court order and deprived her of due process, and has asked the court to order her return.
In court, assistant US attorney Mark Sauter apologised on behalf of the government, saying an immigration enforcement officer had made an inadvertent mistake by failing to activate a system that would have halted the removal. The government nonetheless argued that the court lacks jurisdiction in the case because legal papers were filed after she had already been taken to Texas.
Judge Richard Stearns described the episode as a "tragic" bureaucratic mistake and acknowledged the government's error, but appeared to rule out holding the government in contempt, noting the violation did not appear intentional. He also questioned whether he had jurisdiction over the matter.
López Belloza, whose family emigrated from Honduras in 2014, is now staying with her grandparents and studying remotely. She said she was appreciative of the apology and remained hopeful, having earlier feared that her dreams were over. The government maintains her deportation was lawful, citing a 2016 removal order and a subsequent dismissed appeal.
