US judge orders Trump administration to facilitate deported college student's return

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Reuters

February 13, 2026 1:36 PM EST Updated 2 hours ago


BOSTON, Feb 13 (Reuters) - A U.S. federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return of a Honduran college student who was deported in violation of a court order, a step the government had previously refused to take.

Boston-based U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns gave the administration two weeks to enable the return of Any Lucia Lopez Belloza, a student from Babson College in Massachusetts who was deported after being detained at Boston's Logan Airport while traveling to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with her family in Texas.

"Wisdom counsels that redemption may be found by acknowledging and fixing our own errors," Stearns wrote, opens new tab. "In this unfortunate case, the government commendably admits that it did wrong. Now it is time for the government to make amends." Stearns, who was appointed by Democratic President Bill Clinton, said he had hoped to avoid holding anyone in civil contempt by giving the administration a chance to correct what he said everyone acknowledged was a "mistake."

But the State Department last week called the judge's recommendation to issue her a new student visa "unfeasible," and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement declined to facilitate her return, prompting Friday's order. Stearns gave the administration until February 27 to facilitate the student's return. Todd Pomerleau, Lopez Belloza's lawyer, welcomed the ruling, calling her a "remarkable, resilient young woman deserving of this outcome."

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us-judge-orders-trump-administration-facilitate-deported-college-students-return-2026-02-13/

---

Link to ORDER (PDF) - https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/legaldocs/zjpqdxyzjvx/02132026any.pdf

REFERENCE - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143600105

[LetMyPeopleVote]

1. This is not a happy judge

This judge is pissed

Link to tweet

[brer cat]

2. I wish the judge had required trump and noem to pay the cost

of her return from funds they grifted from us. No reason US taxpayers should pay for their incompetence and arrogance. Make them have some skin in the game.