A Babson College student deported by federal immigration authorities is continuing her legal fight, as her attorneys appeal a ruling over where her case should be heard.
Any Lucia Lopez Belloza was detained by ICE at Logan Airport last November while traveling to Texas to visit family. She was later deported to her native Honduras.
Lopez Belloza came to the United States as a child and has no criminal record, but federal officials said her visa had expired.
Now, 25 Investigates has learned her attorneys are appealing a court decision that found a hearing on whether she was unlawfully deported must take place in Texas — the last stop before she was removed from the country.
Speaking with 25 Investigates in January, Lopez Belloza said “I just want to go back to Babson and continue my studies. That’s all I dream for. Being one of the first in the family to just go to college. I just wanted to have that for them and also for me.”
Her legal team argues the case should instead be heard in Massachusetts, where they say the underlying events began and where Lopez Belloza has established her life.
“Despite being cut off from communication and illegally deported before Thanksgiving due to the government’s convenient ‘mistake,’ then given a hollow apology with no attempt to make things right, Any remains in Honduras, her future in turmoil,” said immigration attorney Todd Pomerleau. “We have appealed to the First Circuit as we feel strongly Any’s case against the government’s illegal and appalling behavior belongs in a Boston court, not a Texas one. We have assembled a formidable legal team that stands ready to see that Any’s Dream becomes a reality.”
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