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19-Year-Old Babson Student Deported During Thanksgiving Trip Despite Court Order; DHS Cites 2015 Removal

07:21 AM, 12/05/2025

Lucia Lopez Belloza, a 19-year-old Babson College student from Honduras, was detained at Boston Logan Airport on Nov. 20 while flying home for Thanksgiving and deported days later despite documents indicating a federal judge had restricted her removal and transfer outside Massachusetts. DHS says a 2015 immigration judge’s removal order and her 2014 entry justify the deportation and urged voluntary return via the CBP One app with a $1,000 stipend. Lopez Belloza says the removal felt sudden and unfair; her case is part of roughly half a million deportations reported during President Trump's second term.

College Student Deported While Flying Home For Thanksgiving

Lucia Lopez Belloza, a 19-year-old Babson College student from Honduras, was detained by immigration officials at Boston Logan International Airport on Nov. 20 while attempting to catch a flight home for Thanksgiving. She was deported days later, a development that has drawn scrutiny because documents show a federal judge had restricted her removal and transfer outside Massachusetts.

What Happened

According to court documents obtained by ABC, Lopez Belloza — who entered the United States as a child in 2014 — had previously been the subject of an immigration judge’s removal order in 2015. Immigration officials say that prior removal order was the basis for her recent deportation.

“If there was an order, then why did everything happen to me so fast, within three days?” Lopez Belloza told ABC, adding that the deportation felt unfair and abrupt.

Authorities’ Statement

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told ABC that Lopez Belloza “entered the country in 2014 and an immigration judge ordered her removed from the country in 2015, over 10 years ago. She has illegally stayed in the country since.” DHS also encouraged migrants to use the CBP One app (often referenced as CBP Home) to return voluntarily and receive a $1,000 stipend, while warning that those who remain could face fines, arrest, and deportation without a clear route to return legally.

Personal Impact

Lopez Belloza described her life before detention as centered on school and family. She told ABC that her parents worked hard to send her to college, that she received meaningful financial aid, and that attending Babson represented a family milestone. She said she had planned to surprise her family in Texas for Thanksgiving.

Broader Context

The case comes amid a wave of removals during President Trump’s second term. News reports place the number of migrants deported during this period at roughly half a million, a figure that has renewed debate about enforcement policy and judicial oversight in immigration cases.

Legal Questions

Defense advocates and legal observers have emphasized the tension between existing court orders and immigration enforcement actions. Documents suggesting a federal judge’s restriction on removal and transfer raise questions about procedural checks and the speed of deportation in this case.

Note: Quotes and details are drawn from reporting by ABC and public statements from DHS. The case highlights the personal consequences of immigration enforcement and the complex interaction between prior removal orders and more recent judicial restrictions.

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