Berkeley Student Detained, Sent to Remote ICE Facility

UC Berkeley student Paula Valentina Albornoz Hernandez, 23, an asylum seeker from Colombia who says she fled gender-based violence, was detained by ICE while waiting to board a flight at San Francisco International Airport and is being held at the California City Detention Center. Her attorney says she overstayed her visa but filed for asylum, attended required appointments, had a work permit and has no criminal record; he has filed a federal habeas petition challenging her detention and describes conditions at the facility as severely inadequate. UC Berkeley says it is coordinating with her family and arranging legal support, as campus members mobilize to seek her release. The airport said it was not notified of the enforcement activity and does not assist with immigration enforcement.