From Sfgate · · 1m 10s
UC Berkeley student freed from ICE detention
UC Berkeley student released after federal judge rules ICE unlawful detention.
In brief
UC Berkeley student released after federal judge rules ICE unlawful detention. UC Berkeley student Paula Valentina Albornoz Hernandez was freed by a federal judge who ruled ICE violated her constitutional rights by detaining her without notice or hearing. Originally reported by Sfgate.
UC Berkeley student detained by ICE
Paula Valentina Albornoz Hernandez, a 23-year-old business administration student from Colombia, was arrested at San Francisco International Airport on Oct. 30, 2026.
Federal judge orders release
U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins ruled ICE violated her constitutional right to due process by detaining her without prior notice or hearing and ordered immediate release.
Legal status and asylum
Hernandez has a pending asylum application and valid work authorization, but DHS states her legal permission to remain expired in March 2023.
DHS response
DHS claims Hernandez entered the U.S. on Sept. 6, 2022, with permission to remain until March 6, 2023, and says neither asylum nor work authorization confers legal status.
University celebrates release
UC Berkeley Chancellor Richard Lyons and three other officials thanked Hernandez’s legal team and community members for advocating her release and confirmed she will return to campus.
The bottom line
UC Berkeley student Paula Valentina Albornoz Hernandez was freed by a federal judge who ruled ICE violated her constitutional rights by detaining her without notice or hearing.
