A Honduran student who was trying to travel to surprise her family for Thanksgiving was detained at Boston's Logan International Airport and deported to Honduras in less than 48 hours.

The young woman, identified as Any Lucia Lopez Belloza, had lived in the United States for most of her life and was in her first year of university. Her family reported that the deportation occurred despite a court order that should have halted any immediate transfer.

Airport Detention and Expedited Deportation

According to Newsweek, Lopez Belloza had already passed through airport security when agents detained her directly at the gate. According to her lawyer, Todd Pomerleau, officials asked her to speak with a “customer service representative,” but when she approached, they handcuffed her without explanation, took her to an official vehicle, and transported her to a processing center.

She was then sent to the ICE office in Burlington and subsequently taken to Texas, according to AP. Her family, according to Newsweek, lost contact with her for almost two days, until they received a call from Honduras informing them that she had already been deported. Upon her arrival, she had to locate her grandparents' house, as she hadn't lived there since childhood.

The official explanation and the old deportation order

According to Reuters, ICE maintains that it acted on a valid deportation order, supposedly issued several years ago.

According to The Boston Globe, an immigration policy specialist confirmed that Lopez Belloza apparently had a 2017 deportation order issued “in absentia,” a mechanism that can be activated when immigrants don't receive updated notifications and summonses arrive at old addresses. Her lawyer asserts that she never had an opportunity to defend herself and that the deportation ignored a federal order that was supposed to protect her for 72 hours.

Lopez Belloza's life: student, no criminal record, and raised in the US

According to AP and Newsweek,Lopez Belloza arrived in the United States as a young child and grew up with her parents and siblings in Texas. This year, she began her first semester at Babson College, where she was studying business with the intention of helping her father expand his tailoring business. Her lawyer added that he had personally made suits for her for upcoming interviews and internships. Her family told Newsweek that the young woman had traveled several times in the past year to visit universities, without any immigration issues arising during those trips, leading them to believe that any outstanding matters had been resolved. Furthermore, she had no criminal record or records that would place her as a priority for deportation. According to the Associated Press, her two younger sisters, ages 2 and 5, are US citizens. Her lawyer lamented that, instead of spending her first college Thanksgiving with them, the young woman was separated from her family without notice or an opportunity to present her case.

What can happen now?

According to AP and Reuters, Lopez Belloza's defense will seek to reopen the case and attempt to reverse the deportation, alleging serious due process violations. However, any attempt to bring her back could take weeks or even months.