A federal judge in Boston has ordered the Trump administration to return a 19-year-old college student deported to Honduras before Thanksgiving within two weeks. US District Judge Richard Stearns ruled on Friday that Any Lucia Lopez Belloza, a Babson College freshman, must be brought back to the United States by the end of February.
Judge Stearns said he had hoped the administration would resolve the case after acknowledging it mistakenly deported Lopez Belloza. However, he concluded that the courts must determine her rights and the legality of her removal. 'This is not an issue for the Executive to prejudge and arrogate to itself,' he wrote.
The Department of Homeland Security responded that Lopez Belloza received 'full due process' and a final removal order, issued in 2015 after she entered the US in 2014. The government said she missed multiple appeal opportunities, but Lopez Belloza claimed her previous attorney told her no removal order existed.
Lopez Belloza, who has no criminal record, was detained at Boston's airport on 20 November as she prepared to fly to Texas for Thanksgiving. She was deported two days later and has been staying with grandparents in Honduras, a country she had not visited in over a decade. Babson College has offered remote support for her to continue her business degree.
