Justice Delayed, But Not Denied for College Student

A judge in the United States has given the government a deadline to fix a mistake. This mistake led to a college student being sent back to Honduras. Her name is Any Lucia Lopez Belloza. She is 19 years old. She was trying to visit her family for Thanksgiving. Instead, she was deported. The judge, Richard Stearns, said the government has 21 days to fix this. He suggested they give her a student visa. This is the simplest solution. If they don't, the judge might order her return. He could even hold the government in contempt. Lopez Belloza is a freshman at Babson College in Massachusetts. She was arrested at the airport on November 20. She was about to travel to Texas to surprise her family. The next day, her lawyer sued to stop her deportation. A judge ordered she not be deported or moved out of Massachusetts for 72 hours.But it was too late. She had already been moved to Texas. She was sent to Honduras on November 22. She is still there with her grandparents. The judge said he can't hear her case because she is no longer in Massachusetts. A government lawyer apologized. He said an officer made a mistake. The officer did not properly flag the court order. He thought it no longer applied because she was out of Massachusetts. The judge said this was a tragic and preventable mistake. He hopes the government will fix it soon. The Justice Department did not comment. Her lawyer did not respond to requests for comment. This situation shows how easily things can go wrong. It also shows the importance of following court orders. The government has a chance to make things right. Time will tell if they do.