Overview
- U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns ordered the administration to report within 21 days on steps to rectify the wrongful removal of Any Lucia Lopez Belloza.
- He called a State Department–issued student visa the simplest solution and noted he could order her return with a potential contempt finding if no remedy is provided.
- Government lawyers apologized in court and acknowledged violating a 72-hour order that should have prevented her deportation to Honduras.
- Lopez Belloza, a 19-year-old Babson College freshman raised in Austin, remains in Honduras with relatives and is studying remotely.
- The government contends the court lacks jurisdiction and cites a 2016 removal order, while her attorney seeks a court-ordered plan within 14 days outlining options such as temporary return, a T visa, or a student visa.