Attorney Prerna Lal secured the release of Luis Mora from detention today on a minimum bond of $1500. Luis is free to continue his schooling at the University of California, Berkeley. His fight is long from over, but this was an important victory won for him.
Mora was arrested by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) over winter break as he visited his girlfriend in Chula Vista, California. His attorney organized a social media campaign for him with the help of Berkeley student group, RISE, which garnered the attention of important political leaders such as Senator Kamala Harris, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Rep. Barbara Boxer, and Mayor Arreguin who tweeted, and wrote letters of support for his release. Ultimately, it was Attorney Prerna Lal, along with the power of Mora’s community, which led to his release from detention.
Mora was welcomed back to the Bay Area at Oakland Airport in front of a crowd of supporters, including his legal guardian:
For more coverage on the Luis Mora case and Attorney Lal’s high-profile fight for his release, see our Twitter story and our articles archive here:
- Daily Cal: UC Berkeley to allocate $800K for undocumented students’ needs, pending UCOP approval
- East Bay Times: Emotional Reunion for UC Berkeley Student
- DailyCal: Meet the Campus Immigration Attorney Who Secured Luis Mora’s Release
- Chronicle of Higher Education: How 4 Activists at Berkeley Helped Get an Undocumented Student Out of Detainment
- Washington Post: In My Heart, It is Home
- NBC San Diego: Lawyer Fights for Student Facing Deportation After Being Detained in San Diego
- TeenVogue: Border Patrol Has Detained A 20-Year-Old Undocumented Student
- San Jose Mercury News: UC Berkeley Student Detained By Immigration Officials