US apologizes for deporting Babson student en route to Thanksgiving home

The US government apologized in court for a 'tragic' bureaucratic mistake that led to the deportation of 19-year-old Babson College freshman Any Lucia Lopez Belloza after an emergency court order directing she be kept in the U.S. for 72 hours was not observed; an ICE officer allegedly believed the order no longer applied once she left Massachusetts and failed to halt the removal, prompting the judge to note the error but not hold the government in contempt. Lopez Belloza, who is staying with relatives in El Salvador and studying remotely, was detained at Boston’sairport on Nov. 20 and flown to Honduras two days later. The case mirrors other deportations despite court orders and prosecutors say the removal was lawful based on a prior 2016 order, though the government is open to reopening the removal order or pursuing options for her to return to finish her studies (e.g., a student visa).