A 19-year-old college student who had lived in the United States for more than a decade was deported to Honduras despite a federal judge’s order that she be allowed to remain in the country, her family and attorney say.
Any Lucia Lopez Belloza, a sophomore at a community college, was placed on a flight to Honduras last week after being detained by immigration authorities during what her relatives believed was a routine check-in. Born in Honduras and brought to the U.S. as a child, she had been living in the country since elementary school, her family said.
“She doesn’t know Honduras. Her whole life, her friends, her college, everything is here,” said one family member. “We followed the rules, we went to court, and a judge said she could stay. We don’t understand how this happened.”
According to her attorney, Lopez Belloza had been fighting her removal in immigration court and recently received a temporary stay of deportation from a federal judge while her case was being reviewed. That order, they say, should have halted any attempt to send her back to Honduras.
“Any had a valid stay of removal in place,” her lawyer said. “Under that order, she should not have been deported. The fact that she was placed on a plane anyway raises serious questions about how this was allowed to occur.”
Lopez Belloza’s path through the immigration system began years earlier, when her family’s attempt to secure legal status stalled and they were placed in removal proceedings. While her case moved slowly through the courts, she enrolled in college, studying business and working part-time to help support her family.
Friends describe her as a dedicated student who dreamed of transferring to a four-year university and eventually starting her own small business. She was involved in campus activities and volunteered at a local community center tutoring younger students in Spanish and math.
“She was always the one telling us not to give up,” said a classmate. “She used to say, ‘This country is my home. I just want the chance to prove it.’”
Those plans were abruptly disrupted when immigration officers detained her during a scheduled appointment. Her attorney says he immediately notified officials that a judge had issued a stay, but by the time the legal documents were located and reviewed, Lopez Belloza had already been moved to a detention facility and placed into the deportation process.
Advocates say her case highlights the confusion and complexity that can surround immigration enforcement, especially when multiple agencies and courts are involved.
“When a judge issues an order, that should be the final word—especially when someone’s life and safety are at stake,” said one immigrant rights advocate. “If a young woman with a valid stay can still be deported, it undermines people’s faith that the system is following its own rules.”
Lopez Belloza’s family says she is now staying with distant relatives in Honduras, a country she left as a child and barely remembers. She is reportedly frightened, struggling with the language and culture, and worried she will not be able to continue her education.
“She called us crying from the airport,” her relative recalled. “She said, ‘Why are they doing this? Didn’t the judge say I could stay?’ We didn’t know what to tell her.”
Her legal team is now working to determine whether there is any way to bring her back to the United States or to seek accountability for what they describe as an unlawful deportation. Possible options could include filing complaints, asking for an internal review, or petitioning for humanitarian relief so she can return and resume her case.
Immigration law experts note that while mistakes and miscommunications can occur, deporting someone in defiance of a court order is considered a serious violation.
“If an enforceable stay of removal was in effect, sending that person out of the country anyway is a major problem,” said one legal analyst. “At minimum, it requires a full investigation into how the order was handled, who knew about it, and when.”
For now, Lopez Belloza’s future remains uncertain. Her college classes show her as withdrawn, her seat in the classroom empty. Friends say they still text her, sending photos and updates from campus, hoping she will be able to come back.
“We’re saving her spot in study group,” one classmate said. “She earned her place here. She should be in class, not thousands of miles away in a country she barely knows.”
