A UC Berkeley student was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at San Francisco International Airport Friday, October 30, while she was waiting to board a flight to Portland with her boyfriend, her attorney has revealed, according to Berkeleyside. 23-year-old Paula Valentina Albornoz Hernandez is being held at ICE’s California City Detention Center, agency records show.
UC Berkeley students and administration have now come together to support Paula. Her attorney, Niko De Bremaeker of Centro Legal de la Raza, is planning to file a habeas corpus petition challenging her detention.
De Bremaeker and university spokesperson Aileen Zerrudo noted that this is most likely the first ICE detention of an active UC Berkeley student since the Trump administration began its mass deportation push in 2025.
What we know about Paula Valentina Albornoz Hernandez
Paula, a business administration student, arrived in the United States from Colombia in 2022, according to De Bremaeker. He added that the student overstayed her visa and applied for asylum based on experiencing “severe gender-based violence” in her country. The application remains pending.
De Bremaeker added that Paula had a valid work permit. She had attended San Jose City College before transferring to Berkeley, where she had been conducting research on artificial intelligence.
De Bremaeker said that her client was waiting in the gate area on Friday night when ICE agents in plain clothes approached her and asked her name.
“They didn’t identify themselves as ICE or immigration, or even police,” until taking her into custody, De Bremaeker said.
He said that Paula initially spent the weekend at Stockton Detention Center, and was later taken to California City, a facility northeast of Los Angeles.
De Bremaeker claimed that Paula did not have any criminal record or previous arrests. Berkeleyside said that its search of Alameda County and federal court records did not turn up any criminal history either.
“This is somebody who was very much known with the government, she had been complying at every step, she was doing everything she was supposed to do and obviously excelling within the community,” De Bremaeker said.
Paula’s arrest “demonstrates the arbitrary nature in which the government is arresting folks and how deeply it cuts into our communities,” he added.
UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons said in a letter of support addressed to immigration officials and shared with Paula attorney that she is “one of our outstanding students.”
“It takes remarkable dedication and perseverance to complete a degree at UC Berkeley,” he wrote. “I am deeply concerned that her current situation will unnecessarily interfere with the opportunity that she has earned, potentially impacting her academic progress.”
“I respectfully request that you make it possible for Paula to resume her studies with us,” he added.