Nationwide — Any Lucia Lopez Belloza, a 19-year-old student from Boston, Massachusetts, who was mistakenly deported to Honduras while visiting family for Thanksgiving, is still prohibited from returning to the United States despite a court order. Trump’s administration says it will not reverse her removal.
Lopez Belloza was sent to Honduras in November after being detained, even though a federal judge had blocked her deportation and ordered that she be allowed to stay in Massachusetts. The court had suggested she be issued a student visa to fix the mistake.
On Friday, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley argued that the Secretary of State cannot issue visas independently. She added that if Lopez Belloza returned to the U.S., she could face immediate detention and deportation under the existing order.
“ICE has considered returning Petitioner to the United States to the status quo that existed immediately prior to her removal, but respectfully declines to pursue this course of action,” Foley wrote in court documents.
Lopez Belloza told ABC News her deportation was unfair, noting she has no criminal record and was focused on her studies.
“My parents… work so hard to be able to send me to college,” she said. “And I got really good financial aid. I really got a good college that basically wanted me, and I wanted them. My dream was for me to be in college, fulfill not only mine but also my family dream… for me to be in college, be one of the first ones in my family to be there. It was like… wow… I’m doing this. It’s happening.”
Her case has sparked criticism, with advocates saying the government ignored a judge’s order and disrupted a student’s education over a holiday visit. So far, authorities have not outlined any plan to allow her return.