College Freshman 'Deported from Boston Airport' While Trying to Surprise Family for Thanksgiving

Any Luca Lpez Belloza, 19, originally from Honduras, was brought to the United States by her parents at age 7 to seek asylum, according to her attorney. She was detained at Boston Logan International Airport on November 20 and deported to Honduras two days later, her lawyer and a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed.

Her father, Francis Lpez, said that when Any was taken into custody, she was informed of a deportation order that neither he nor his wife had been aware of. Any, a freshman studying business at Babson College in Massachusetts, had planned to surprise her family in Texas for Thanksgiving before her detention.

Her attorney, Todd Pomerleau, explained that moments before boarding, Any encountered issues with her boarding pass. While heading to customer service, she was handcuffed and forcibly removed from the airport. She was then transported to Texas, restrained with shackles, and placed on a flight back to Honduras.

"She is devastated," Pomerleau stated. "Her aspirations for college have been completely disrupted."

Francis Lpez said his daughters employer had arranged her travel to Austin for a Thanksgiving surprise. He also mentioned that concerns over crime and insecurity in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, prompted the familys move to the U.S. nearly twelve years ago. The familys asylum application had been denied, and they claim they were not informed of the need to appeal to prevent deportation.

Tricia McLaughlin, representing the Department of Homeland Security, said Any was ordered deported by an immigration judge in 2015. "She received full due process and was removed to Honduras," McLaughlin wrote in a statement. Pomerleau disputed this, noting that Any was being held accountable for an incident from a decade ago that she was unaware of, and he could not locate her original deportation order in government records.

Following her arrest, a federal judge issued an emergency order restricting the government from removing her from Massachusetts or the U.S. for at least 72 hours.

Nayna Gupta, policy director at the American Immigration Council, noted that returning to the U.S. after a final deportation order is extremely difficult. Any is currently staying with her grandparents in Honduras, concerned about how she will continue her education. "I have worked so hard to be at Babson for my first semester. That was my dream," she said. "Im losing everything."

Supporters are raising funds for Any through Mass Deportation Defense, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing unjust deportations and protecting due process.

Author: Sophia Brooks