The case of a Babson College student who was wrongly deported has taken a significant turn in federal court. On Friday, January 16, 2026, U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns gave the Trump administration a three-week deadline to “rectify the mistake” made when Any Lucia Lopez Belloza was sent to Honduras. The judge suggested that the simplest way to fix the situation would be for the government to issue her a new student visa so she can return to her studies in Massachusetts.
This order comes after the government officially apologized for what they called a “bureaucratic fumble.” Any, a 19-year-old freshman with no criminal record, was detained at Boston’s Logan Airport while trying to fly home to Texas for Thanksgiving. Even though a judge quickly signed an order to keep her in the country for at least 72 hours, she was still flown out of the U.S. just two days later. An ICE officer admitted he didn’t cancel the deportation because he incorrectly thought the judge’s order stopped mattering once she left Massachusetts and landed in Texas.
The mistake has turned Any’s life upside down. She is currently in Honduras staying with her grandparents and trying to keep up with her college classes remotely. While the government admitted they messed up the process, they still claim the deportation was technically legal because of a removal order from 2016. However, her lawyer points out that Any was only eight years old at the time and had no idea such an order even existed. She felt she was being treated like a criminal despite having a full scholarship and a bright future ahead of her.
Judge Stearns called the entire ordeal “tragic and preventable.” He made it clear that while he doesn’t have the power to completely overturn the old immigration case, the government must find a way to make things right. He gave the administration 21 days to come up with a plan to bring her back. If they don’t, he hinted that he might hold the government in contempt of court. For now, Any says she feels hopeful and is grateful that the mistake was finally acknowledged in public.
