UC Berkeley Student Released from ICE Detention

 

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:

Prerna Lal

Immigration Attorney

Share
Published by
Prerna Lal

Recent Posts

Your Client Won Release From ICE Detention. Now How Do They Get Home?

An attorney’s guide to post-release transportation, shelter, and reunification resources at California’s ICE detention centers…

3 days ago

Deny, Deny, Deny: How the Trump Administration Is Reengineering Immigration Law One BIA Decision at a Time

It is only August, and the Board of Immigration Appeals has already spent 2026 producing…

2 weeks ago

BIA Overrules Matter of Arrabally: A Harsh New Advance Parole Rule, and What It Actually Means

On August 13, 2026, the Board of Immigration Appeals issued a major decision in Matter…

2 weeks ago

Contempt for Thee, Not for Me: EOIR’s Proposed Rule for Punishing Lawyers Who Say the Quiet Part Out Loud

There is something almost admirable about the Trump administration’s capacity to make parody obsolete. After…

2 weeks ago

More Than 50 Federal Cases and Counting

Fighting Unlawful Immigration Detention in 2026 Federal court is supposed to be where a person…

1 month ago

The Great Writ Under Siege: Habeas Corpus in the Age of Mass Detention

The battle over immigration detention has reached every federal courthouse in America In the past…

5 months ago