A US judge recommends a student visa for a college freshman deported to Honduras, calling it a “preventable mistake” that violated a court order.
BOSTON: A US judge has urged the Trump administration to rectify its “mistake” by granting a student visa to a college freshman deported to Honduras.
US District Judge Richard Stearns gave the government three weeks to decide on a solution for 19-year-old Any Lucia Lopez Belloza.
He recommended the US Department of State issue her a student visa as the simplest remedy.
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The alternative would be a court order for her return, with a threat of contempt if refused.
The ruling follows an apology from a government lawyer for violating a court order barring her removal.
Lopez Belloza was arrested at Boston’s airport on November 20 while travelling home to Texas for Thanksgiving.
Her lawyer sued the next day, and a judge issued an order barring her deportation for 72 hours.
However, she had already been transferred to Texas and was deported to Honduras on November 22.
Judge Stearns noted he lacked jurisdiction over her main case as she was outside Massachusetts when sued.
He stated the government retains the ability to remedy this “tragic (and preventable) mistake.”
A government lawyer apologised for an ICE officer’s error in failing to flag the court order.
The officer mistakenly believed the order no longer applied once she left Massachusetts.
Lopez Belloza is a Honduran national brought to the US by her mother at age eight while seeking asylum.
She has stated she was unaware she was subject to a removal order.
Her lawyer, Todd Pomerleau, welcomed the ruling to help negotiate her return to the United States.
The Justice Department declined to comment on the case.
Lopez Belloza remains in Honduras with her grandparents. – Reuters
