BERKELEY, Calif. (KRON) -- A University of California Berkeley student who interns for an artificial intelligence company was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in San Francisco and remains in federal custody Wednesday. The 23-year-old student, Paula Valentina Albornoz Her nandez, is a citizen of Colombia who has lived in the United States since 2022, according to her attorneys. On October 30, ICE agents detained and arrested Hernandez at San Francisco International Airport when she tried to catch a flight to Portland for a vacation with her boyfriend. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said Hernandez is an "illegal alien" because she does not have legal immigration status. "She entered the country on September 6, 2022, with legal permission to stay until March 6, 2023. In defiance of our nation’s laws, she did not depart. She will receive due process and remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings," a DHS spokesperson told KRON4 Wednesday. Paula Albornoz Hernandez (Photos courtesy Centro Legal De La Raza) Work authorization or a pending application for legal status does shield a person from deportation, according to federal immigration officials. The spokesperson said undocumented immigrants can no longer fly unless they are returning to their home country. "DHS reversed the horrendous Biden-era policy that allowed aliens in our country illegally to jet around our country. Under President Trump, DHS will no longer tolerate this. This administration is working diligently to ensure that aliens in our country illegally can no longer fly unless it is out of our country to self-deport," the DHS spokesperson wrote. Hernandez's attorneys are fighting for her immediate release from custody. The student was forced to flee from Colombia because she was persecuted based on her gender, according to her writ of habeas corpus petition filed in U.S. District Court Monday. The student, whose immediate family lives in the Bay Area, has a pending asylum case, the petition states. Hernandez is being represented by attorneys with an Oakland-based legal group, Centro Legal De La Raza. "Since coming to the United States, she has pursued asylum based on her experiences, graduated San Jose City College with honors, and is now studying at University of California Berkeley where she is majoring in Business Administration. UC Berkeley’s Chancellor has written in support of her return to her studies. She also has a marketing internship for an artificial intelligence start-up company. Additionally, she is an active member of her church in Hayward," the petition states. ICE identifies six immigrants detained in Bay Area The UC Berkeley student has no criminal history, and her arrest at San Francisco International Airport was the first time she has ever been arrested, according to the petition. She is being held in custody at California City Detention Facility. UC Berkeley Chancellor Richard Lyons said the university established the nation’s first-of-its-kind Undocumented Student Program, which was built through the advocacy and leadership of our students and staff. "This student is a valued member of our community, and campus leadership is doing everything within our power to support them so that they may return to their life at Berkeley to continue their studies with us," Lyons said. Berkeley Mayor Adena Ishii is also calling on ICE to release Hernandez. "I'm deeply concerned by reports that ICE detained a UC Berkeley student who has a pending asylum case and no criminal record," Ishii wrote in a statement. Detaining a student like Hernandez does not make the city safer, the mayor said. "It creates fear among immigrant families and students who call Berkeley home. Berkeley is a sanctuary city," the mayor said. ...read more read less