Trump Administration Admits Deportation Error — But Refuses To Return Babson Student To Finish Her Degree

The Trump administration admits it broke a federal court order when it deported a Babson College student to Honduras — yet insists it will not take steps to return her to the U.S., escalating a case that highlights a troubling pattern of defiance by immigration officials toward judicial authority.

In a filing late Friday, the administration told a federal judge that facilitating the return of Any Lucia Lopez Belloza, a Babson undergraduate who was removed to Honduras despite an explicit court order barring her deportation, would be “unfeasible.” The position comes even after government lawyers conceded that immigration officials made a mistake — the latest in a series of instances in which Trump administration officials have defied or violated court orders involving detention and deportation.

Since 2017, courts have documented at least five separate cases in which immigration authorities under Trump ignored or acted in direct conflict with judicial orders, often later attributing the violations to administrative or clerical errors. In several cases, judges openly raised the possibility of contempt sanctions.

The Babson case is now shaping up as one of the most high-profile of those confrontations.

JUDGE WEIGHS CONTEMPT AFTER DEPORTATION DESPITE A COURT ORDER

The dispute is playing out in the U.S. District Court in Boston before Richard Stearns, who ordered the administration to explain how it planned to “rectify the mistake” of deporting Lopez Belloza after her lawyer had secured a court order barring her removal.

Lopez Belloza, a student at Babson College, was detained at an airport while traveling to Texas to spend Thanksgiving with her family. On November 21, her attorney obtained a Massachusetts court order prohibiting her deportation or transfer out of state for 72 hours. She was nonetheless placed on a flight to Honduras the following day.

At a hearing last month, a government lawyer apologized for the violation, describing it as the result of a “mistake” by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who failed to properly flag the court order.

But in Friday’s filing, the Justice Department flatly rejected Judge Stearns’ suggestion that the government issue a student visa or otherwise facilitate Lopez Belloza’s return.

“Such declination is driven by the fact that petitioner was subject to a final order of removal and therefore her arrest, detention and removal were authorized by statute and the Constitution,” a Justice Department lawyer wrote.

STUDENT SAYS SHE NEVER KNEW SHE FACED REMOVAL

Lopez Belloza has said she was unaware that she was subject to a final order of removal — the legal basis cited by the government for her arrest and deportation. She remains in Honduras, living with her grandparents.

Her attorney, Todd Pomerleau, said the legal fight is far from over.

“We will continue to litigate this case till Any is brought back to the United States,” he said in a statement.

Judge Stearns, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, has not yet ruled on the administration’s refusal to comply with his proposed remedy. He has previously warned that he could hold the government in civil contempt if it fails to take steps to undo the violation of his order.

A BROADER PATTERN WITH HIGHER-ED STAKES

For higher education leaders, immigration attorneys, and international students, the case underscores a growing concern: even when courts intervene, students can still be removed — and left abroad — while legal battles drag on.

Babson has not publicly commented on Lopez Belloza’s academic status or whether accommodations can be made while she remains outside the U.S. But for now, the administration’s position is clear: the deportation was a mistake — and one it has no intention of fixing.

DON’T MISS: Commentary: A Cruel Deportation Of A Babson Student That Should Outrage Every American or Trump’s ICE Campaign Isn’t Just Unwelcoming – It’s Deadly, And It’s Undermining American Higher Education

© Copyright 2026 Poets & Quants. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Poets & Quants, please submit your request HERE.