daily californian logo

BERKELEY'S NEWS • MARCH 21, 2023

Welcome to the (March) Madness! Read more here

Detained undocumented UC Berkeley student could miss spring semester

article image

JALEEN UDARBE | COURTESY

SUPPORT OUR NONPROFIT NEWSROOM

We're an independent student-run newspaper, and need your support to maintain our coverage.

JANUARY 05, 2018

UC Berkeley junior transfer Luis Mora, who was recently taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, was denied a supervised release Friday night, meaning that he may miss his spring semester at UC Berkeley, according to a tweet from Mora’s attorney.

Mora was taken into custody by Border Patrol in San Diego on Saturday night. He was transferred into ICE custody at Otay Mesa Detention Center on Wednesday.

According to Prerna Lal, Mora’s attorney, the ICE director told Lal in an email that he will not grant Mora a supervised release. Instead, Lal said, the ICE director will defer to the court to make a decision. ICE will continue to detain Mora at Otay Mesa, which may cause Mora to miss his spring semester at UC Berkeley, Lal tweeted.

According to Mora’s girlfriend, Jaleen Udarbe, Mora’s U.S. visa expired two to three years ago. Mora currently has an AB 540 plan, which qualifies him for in-state tuition, but his application to be granted DACA status was denied.

Mora’s story gained attention after Rising Immigrant Scholars through Education, or RISE at Berkeley, a campus immigrant rights organization, began a social media campaign in Mora’s defense.

Since the campaign launched Tuesday, prominent figures including U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. and U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., as well as U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, have reached out to ICE on Mora’s behalf.

YouCaring fund has been created by RISE for a bond once it is set. The fund has raised $3,855 as of press time.

Amber Tang is an assistant news editor. Contact her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at @ambertang_dc.
LAST UPDATED

JANUARY 14, 2018


Related Articles

featured article
Luis Mora, a campus junior transfer, was taken into custody by Border Patrol in San Diego on Saturday night, according to a Facebook post made by his girlfriend, Jaleen Udarbe, on his account.
Luis Mora, a campus junior transfer, was taken into custody by Border Patrol in San Diego on Saturday night, according to a Facebook post made by his girlfriend, Jaleen Udarbe, on his account.
featured article
featured article
Five UC Berkeley students partnered with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, or ILRC, to offer free legal consultations with immigration attorneys Thursday evening at Longfellow Middle School.
Five UC Berkeley students partnered with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, or ILRC, to offer free legal consultations with immigration attorneys Thursday evening at Longfellow Middle School.
featured article
featured article
Campus junior Luis Mora was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, on Wednesday after being held in California Border Patrol detainment for four days.
Campus junior Luis Mora was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, on Wednesday after being held in California Border Patrol detainment for four days.
featured article