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Babson College Freshman Captured by ICE Goons at Boston Airport and Deported

In a story that has stunned campus communities and reignited fierce debate over America’s deportation machine, 19-year-old Any Lucía López Belloza — a bright, ambitious freshman at prestigious Babson College — was yanked from Boston Logan International Airport on November 20, handcuffed in front of shocked travelers, and deported to Honduras just 48 hours later.

The straight-A student had been minutes away from boarding a flight to Austin to surprise her father for Thanksgiving when federal agents intervened.

Any had lived in the United States since she was 7 years old, arriving with her parents who fled rampant gang violence and extortion in San Pedro Sula, one of the most dangerous cities in the Western Hemisphere.

She grew up in Massachusetts, graduated near the top of her high-school class, and earned a spot at Babson College — routinely ranked the #1 undergraduate school for entrepreneurship in the nation — with dreams of one day helping her father open his own tailor shop.

Instead, she now finds herself thousands of miles away, living with grandparents she barely knows, cut off from her parents and two little sisters (ages 2 and 5), and unable to continue the education she worked years to achieve.

What Happened at the Airport

According to her attorney Todd Pomerleau and her father Francis López, Any was walking toward her gate when an airline employee informed her there was an issue with her boarding pass. As she headed to customer service, she was suddenly surrounded by plainclothes ICE agents, handcuffed, and forcibly removed from the terminal.

“She was dragged out of the airport in tears,” Pomerleau told reporters. “This is a 19-year-old college student who has never committed a crime in her life.”

She was transferred to a detention facility in Louisiana, then to Texas. Less than two days later — wrists, waist, and ankles shackled — she was placed on a deportation flight to Honduras.

The Department of Homeland Security claims an immigration judge issued a final removal order against Any in 2015 when she was just 9 years old. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated:

“She received full due process and was removed to Honduras in accordance with the law.”

But Any’s family and attorney say they were never notified of any deportation order, never told they needed to appeal, and never received any paperwork. Pomerleau says he searched the Executive Office for Immigration Review database and could not locate any record of the alleged 2015 order.

“They’re holding a teenager responsible for something the government claims happened a decade ago that she’s completely unaware of — and they won’t even show us the proof,” Pomerleau said.

The family had applied for asylum shortly after arriving in the U.S., citing credible fear of violence in Honduras. That application was denied, but they say they were never informed of the next steps or that a final removal order had been entered.

One day after Any’s arrest, a federal judge in Massachusetts issued an emergency 72-hour stay prohibiting the government from removing her from the country — but by then, she was already airborne to Central America.

Dream Shattered Overnight

Speaking from her grandparents’ home in Honduras, Any told The Boston Globe through tears:

“I have worked so hard to be able to be at Babson my first semester — that was my dream. I just wanted to surprise my dad at work for Thanksgiving and tell my little sisters about college. Now I’m losing everything.”

Babson College released a statement saying it is “heartbroken” and working with legal experts to explore every possible avenue for Any’s return, including potential congressional intervention and humanitarian parole.

The case has become a flashpoint as President Trump’s second administration ramps up interior enforcement and mass-deportation operations.

Immigration advocates warn that thousands of long-term residents — especially those who arrived as children — could face similar sudden removals if old orders are executed without notice.

Nayna Gupta, policy director at the American Immigration Council, told reporters that once someone is physically removed under a final order, legal re-entry becomes extraordinarily difficult, even if serious due-process violations are later proven.

“This young woman had no criminal record, was actively contributing to this country through her education,” Gupta said. “Cases like hers show why we need urgent reform to protect people who have grown up here and know no other home.”

Community Response and How to Help

A GoFundMe organized through Mass Deportation Defense — a nonprofit clinic dedicated to stopping unjust deportations — has already raised over $180,000 to cover legal fees, support Any’s family in the U.S., and explore every possible pathway for her to return and resume her studies.

Supporters, classmates, and alumni have flooded social media with #BringAnyHome, sharing photos of the smiling business major who just weeks ago was excitedly planning her first college Thanksgiving break.


HAPPENING NOW


For now, Any remains in Honduras, fearful for her safety in a city her family fled more than a decade ago. But her father Francis vows to keep fighting.

“She is American in every way that matters,” he said. “We will not stop until our daughter is home.”


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