The hide-your-parents stage is here. You’re next.
The family of a deported Babson College student raised a public stink after her Nov. 20 arrest at Logan Airport. First, let’s review from last week:
Any Lucia López Belloza was flying home from Boston to surprise her parents for Thanksgiving. Instead, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested her (The Guardian):
She was allowed a phone call to her parents, who contacted a lawyer. The next day, a federal judge issued an emergency order barring her removal from the US for at least 72 hours until her case could be reviewed.
But the next morning, she was shackled at her wrists, ankles and waist and deported to her native Honduras, a country which she left at the age of seven and of which she has virtually no memory.
After all the press her arrrest received, immigration agents targeted her parents in Austin, Texas. (I’m assuming that the Sunday mentioned below is Nov. 30, the aftrenoon the New York Times ran this interview with her father, and not yesterday.) The Times ran this followup on Dec. 7 (gift link):
On Sunday, immigration agents appeared at the family home of a recently deported college student in Austin, Texas, according to the family and their lawyer.
The agents arrived in three unmarked vehicles, and one agent in a green vest marked E.R.O. — Enforcement and Removal Operations — rushed toward the student’s father, Francis López, as he washed his car, Mr. López said. He ran into his backyard and closed a latched gate. The agent forced open the gate and proceeded to enter the backyard.
Mr. López entered his house and locked the back door, he said. After about two hours, the agents left, without ever trying to communicate with the family or knocking on the door.
Rep. Greg Casar (D) represents the López family’s district. He said on Sunday that the government meant to send a message:
“To be clear, the Trump administration is targeting a college student’s family because that college student spoke out about the unjust way that she was treated by the federal government,” Mr. Casar said.
Jacob Soboroff of MS Now interviewed Any Lucia Lopez Belloza. The video ran on Dec. 4.
Author Madiba Dennie announced on Bluesky, “aaand we are officially in the hide-your-neighbors stage.” That was October 10. Now we are at the hide-your-parents stage. Soon we will be at the hide-yourselves stage. If the budding 2nd American Revolution Will Bunch teased on Sunday does not materialize and soon, it’s not a matter of if but when.
Unsubtle Hint: This is not a private fight.
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