The Daily Californian

After more than a week in detention, a federal judge has ordered immigration officials to immediately release UC Berkeley student Paula Valentina Albornoz Hernandez.

U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins ruled that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement violated Albornoz Hernandez’s right to due process, granting her a habeas corpus petition and a temporary restraining order.

ICE agents detained Albornoz Hernandez at San Francisco International Airport on Oct. 30 while she was waiting to board a flight with her boyfriend.

Coggins ruled that noncitizens who overstay their visa and are “not detained within a reasonable time” after their visas expire gain a protected liberty interest, meaning immigration enforcement agencies must first notify them before they are detained.

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BREAKING | The U.S. Department of Education has launched an investigation into UC Berkeley’s Black and Latine resource centers and scholarships.

The investigation, first reported by the California Post, follows a Feb. 10 civil rights complaint filed by the Legal Insurrection Foundation, a conservative nonprofit and media organization.

The complaint targeted campus’s African American Student Development Office, Black Resource Center and Latinx Student Resource Center, as well as the African American Initiative Scholarship and the Lloyd A. Edwards Scholarship.

According to a Nov. 3 letter from the Office of Civil Rights to the Legal Insurrection Foundation acknowledging the investigation, the foundation alleged in the complaint that, even if they did not explicitly exclude students on the basis of race, the resource centers’ program’s titles and descriptions dissuade certain groups from participating. The foundation further alleged that the scholarships have criteria that exclude students on the basis of race, color or national origin.

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BERKELEY ELECTIONS 2026 | Igor Tregub poised to
retain Downtown Berkeley’s District 4 City Council seat.

As the clock strikes midnight on election night in Berkeley, incumbent Igor Tregub holds a more than 20-point lead over challenger Majdi Gaith in Berkeley’s District 4 City Council race.

Tregub stands at 1,392 votes to Gaith’s 908 as of press time.

“I feel good about tonight. The election results are very favorable, but I will let democracy run its course,” Tregub said in a text around 11 p.m. “There will be a time when all votes are counted as cast, when I can make claims about the outcome, but for now I look forward to returning to work on behalf of my constituents and all Berkeleyans.”

Neither Tregub nor his challenger Gaith have called the election as of press time.

Read our coverage at the link below: dailycal.org/news/city/igor…

BREAKING | Woman crossing street pronounced dead in Berkeley hit-and-run on Ashby Avenue.

A 64-year-old woman has died after being struck by an SUV in a hit-and-run on Ashby Avenue and Regent Street on Tuesday around 6:30 p.m., according to Berkeley Police Department spokesperson Byron White.

The report said a Silver Kia Soul traveling westbound struck the woman. The driver fled the scene but was spotted by a witness, who police said helped identify the vehicle involved.

Radio dispatch reports the woman was found in the middle of the street as she was crossing the road when the vehicle hit her.

Ashby Avenue between Hillegass and Telegraph avenues was previously closed to all traffic but is now all clear, according to an email from BPD.

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2026 BERKELEY ELECTIONS | Syrak Micael declares early victory in D7 Berkeley City Council race.

Syrak Micael, the East Bay Democratic Socialists of America-endorsed candidate and recent UC Berkeley graduate, has claimed victory in Berkeley’s District 7 City Council race with an early lead of 36.5% over his opponent.

Votes are still rolling in and as of press time only 391 total votes are registered in the district. District 7, however, historically has the lowest voter turnout of any district in the city of Berkeley. Incumbent Cecilia Lunaparra was elected with 291 votes out of 488 total votes in 2024’s special election.

Micael has currently captured 267 votes.

Read our coverage below: dailycal.org/news/city/elec…