Overview
- Any Lucia Lopez Belloza refused an ICE-arranged flight from Honduras after filings said she could be detained and re-deported upon arrival, and she remains in Honduras past the court’s deadline.
- Federal prosecutors said they would facilitate her return to restore the status quo but asserted ICE authority to detain and remove her based on a standing removal order, with a flight set from San Pedro Sula to Harlingen, Texas.
- Her lawyers called the plan an empty formality intended to frustrate judicial review and vowed further litigation, arguing she should be allowed to resume studies outside detention and noting a pending green card application.
- U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns previously ordered her return to “make amends” for a November deportation carried out despite a 72-hour stay, which the government acknowledged was a mistake.
- The government moved to dismiss or shift the case on jurisdictional grounds, contending Massachusetts lacks authority because she was moved to Texas, while DHS continues to cite a prior final removal order and claims due process was provided.