UC Berkeley student detained by ICE at San Francisco International Airport, officials say

By Tim Fang

A student attending the University of California, Berkeley was detained by immigration agents while attempting to fly out of San Francisco International Airport, school officials said.

Chancellor Richard Lyons said in a message to the campus community that the student was detained at SFO on Friday. The student was attempting to travel out of state.

“This student is a valued member of our community, and campus leadership is doing everything within our power to support them so that they may return to their life at Berkeley to continue their studies with us,” Lyons said.

The chancellor did not release the student’s name, citing student privacy laws and university policy. CBS News Bay Area has confirmed the student’s identity as Paula Valentina Albornoz Hernandez.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News Bay Area that Albornoz Hernandez is from Colombia, entered the country in September 2022 and had permission to stay in the U.S. until March 2023.

“In defiance of our nation’s laws, she did not depart. She will receive due process and remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings,” the spokesperson said. “This administration is working diligently to ensure that aliens in our country illegally can no longer fly unless it is out of our country to self-deport.”

Albornoz Hernandez is being held at the detention facility in California City in Kern County, according to agency records.

Lyons said the school has mobilized legal support and is in close contact with the student’s family, leaders and organizations on and off campus, working on the student’s behalf.

The chancellor also noted the university’s Undocumented Student Program, which provides counseling, financial support, mental health support, legal support and professional development.

Lyons said, “The university’s commitment to supporting every member of this community remains as strong as ever.”