Babson College student deported to Honduras despite judge's order, now fights for return
Oct 5, 2026·Location: Boston, MA
Country of origin: Honduras

Amy Lucia López Belloza, a 19-year-old Babson College freshman on scholarship, was detained by ICE at Boston Logan Airport in November 2025 while trying to board a flight to surprise her parents for a family Thanksgiving reunion. She was unaware a removal order had been issued against her in 2017, when she was 11, after an immigration judge denied her and her mother's asylum claims. A federal judge in Massachusetts ordered that she not be moved out of state or deported, but ICE transferred her to Texas and deported her to Honduras, a country she had not visited since leaving at age 8; the government later conceded in court that an agent had misread the judge's order and apologized, but argued the violation should not affect her case. When offered a return flight in February 2026, she declined after ICE indicated she would be redetained in Texas and deported again. Her habeas corpus lawsuit was dismissed in March 2026 for lack of jurisdiction. She is now continuing her Babson studies remotely while living with her grandparents in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, as her attorneys argue before the First Circuit Court of Appeals that she should be allowed to return to Massachusetts.
Timeline
Sources
- 19-year-old college student deported despite judge's order blocking her removal: Lawyer
- A mistakenly deported Babson College student tells AP how her life turned upside down
Associated Press·Jan 16, 2026·archived copy
winnipegfreepress.com·Jan 16, 2026·archived copy
- Babson College offers support to student deported trying to fly home for Thanksgiving surprise
Associated Press·Dec 1, 2025·archived copy
- Detentions of International Scholars at Airports Raise Alarm
- A Babson College student wanted to surprise her family for Thanksgiving. She was deported instead.
Boston Globe·Nov 25, 2025·archived copy
- Babson College student mistakenly deported appeals dismissal of immigration case
Boston Globe·May 22, 2026·archived copy
- web.archive.org
- Trump team has deported more than 170 migrants in violation of court orders: report
independent.co.uk·Sep 15, 2026
- Lawyers for Babson College student argue for her return to Massachusetts during appeals court hearing
Boston Globe·Oct 5, 2026
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