Family Of Deported Babson Student Says ICE Agents Forced Open Gate At Their Austin Home

Any Lucia López Belloza, a 19-year-old Babson College student, was detained at Boston's airport on 20 November while en route to surprise her family in Austin, Texas, and was deported to Honduras within 48 hours, her relatives say.

The family told The New York Times that immigration officers arrived at their Austin home on Sunday in three unmarked vehicles. Francis López, her father, said one officer wearing a green vest labeled "ERO" (Enforcement and Removal Operations) rushed toward him as he washed his car. He says he fled to the backyard and closed a gate, but that an agent forced the gate open and entered the yard. López then went inside and locked the back door. The family says the agents stayed on the property for roughly two hours before leaving without ever knocking or speaking to anyone.

The family's lawyer, Kristin Etter, told The New York Times the officers "did not have any papers or any warrant out," and that the López home appeared to be the only address where the unmarked vehicles stopped that day. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Immigration authorities say an immigration judge ordered López Belloza's removal in 2015 and that she had "illegally stayed in the country since." The family says they were never notified of any deportation order. López Belloza's attorney, Todd Pomerleau, said he has been unable to find any record of such an order and argues that her removal violated an emergency court order issued the day after her detention, which barred her removal for at least 72 hours while her case was reviewed.

"To be clear, the Trump administration is targeting a college student's family because that college student spoke out about the unjust way that she was treated by the federal government," said Democratic Congressman Greg Casar, who represents the district.

Speaking to The Guardian from her grandparents' home in northern Honduras, López Belloza said: "I never thought I would go through this tragedy. I try to be as positive and as strong as I can. I want to be able to move forward and maybe continue my studies... And one day, to be able to see my parents and my family again." She and her family say they moved from Honduras to the United States when she was seven.

The case has raised questions about whether proper notification and legal process were followed, the validity of the purported 2015 removal order, and whether the rapid deportation complied with the temporary court order intended to keep her in the United States while her case was reviewed. Local officials and advocacy groups are calling for transparency and a full review of the circumstances surrounding her removal and the agents' appearance at her family's home.