ICE agents arrest woman at SFO, bystanders capture on video
ICE officials arrest and deport woman and daughter at SFO
Outcry over a public arrest and takedown of woman at San Francisco International Airport Sunday by ICE officers. The Department of Homeland Security says the woman and a girl were deported to Guatemala.
SAN FRANCISCO - Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducted an enforcement operation inside San Francisco International Airport on Sunday, arresting a woman and her daughter in the secure area of Terminal 3 who the government said were issued a removal order back to Guatemala, airport officials and immigration officials said.
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Woman arrested at SFO
What we know:
The arrest took place in Boarding Area E, which primarily serves United Airlines flights, on Sunday about 10 p.m., according to SFO spokesman Doug Yakel.
On X, the Department of Homeland identified the mother and daughter as Angelina Lopez-Jimenez and Wendy Godinez-Lopez.
DHS called the two "ILLEGAL ALIENS," in capital letters, saying the pair had final removal orders from an immigration judge in 2019. No further details were released.
While being escorted to the international terminal for processing, the DHS said Lopez-Jimenez tried to flee and she "resisted law enforcement officers." The DHS provided no further specifics.
The DHS said they were trying to get the two back to their home country of Guatemala.
It wasn't immediately clear if the two got on the plane or had landed.
Video shows ICE arrest
Videos of the arrest were captured by various people on social media. People are heard shouting at the plainclothes ICE agents.
"This is un-American," someone is heard saying.
In another video, the woman is seen crying on her knees, and the videographer, who goes by the handle @argw6 on TikTok, is heard asking for the ICE agent's badge number. Both officers were in civilian clothes.
In one of the videos, a young girl with braids is off crying on the side. One of the agents is seen calling someone on a cell phone.
Deportations on flights
Before the DHS issued its brief statement on Monday, Yakel shared what he knew.
"We understand federal officers were transporting two individuals on an outbound flight when this incident occurred," Yakel wrote in an email, possibly referring to a young girl the woman was traveling with. "We believe this is an isolated incident and have no reason to suspect broader enforcement action at SFO."
SEE ALSO: California leaders seek return of Hayward deaf boy deported to Colombia
ICE conducts removals through chartered flights, commercial airlines and ground transportation, for both "escorted and unescorted removals," according to the government website. Sometimes, people being deported are placed on commercial flights with escorts.
For countries not bordering the U.S., removals require ICE air charter or commercial flights.
ICE agents arrest woman at SFO, bystanders capture on video
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducted an enforcement operation inside San Francisco International Airport Sunday night, arresting a woman in the secure area of Terminal 3, airport officials said.
Not related to Trump's national TSA deployment
Big picture view:
Yakel did emphasize that the enforcement action was unrelated to President Trump's directive to deploy ICE agents to airports nationwide to assist Transportation Security Administration workers during the partial government shutdown.
Yakel added SFO is not currently on the list for ICE support at security checkpoints, given that its screeners are private contractors and not TSA.
ICE agents deployed to airports; none so far in Bay Area
Neither SFO nor Oakland International Airport had received notice of any ICE deployments as of Monday.
San Francisco police officers were present during the detention but "neither assisted nor intervened" in the immigration enforcement action, Yakel said.
"The airport’s role is to ensure the safe and efficient operation of the facility for all passengers and staff," Yakel wrote. "We were not involved in or notified in advance of this incident. Airport operations continued without disruption, and there was no impact to flights or passenger processing."
SFPD respond to 911 calls
San Francisco Police Officer Robert Rueca said that the city charter and department policy forbid SFPD from helping with civil federal immigration laws.
However, officers were called out about 10 p.m. to the airport because someone had called 911.
When police arrived, Rueca said officers realized it was an ICE action, and they remained on scene to "maintain public safety."
What they're saying:
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie issued a statement on Monday, saying that he found what happened at SFO "upsetting."
"Under our city's longstanding policies, local law enforcement does not participate in federal civil immigration enforcement," Lurie wrote. "Those policies keep us safe and will not change as long as I'm mayor."
READ: Swalwell staffer flies to Colombia to give hearing aid to deported deaf boy
State Sen. Scott Wiener held a news conference Monday morning at the airport to reiterate that "ICE is not welcome in San Francisco or at San Francisco International Airport."
"We don't need ICE or Border Patrol or any of these other thugs in our city and our and our airport," he said. "They're not welcome here, and they need to stay the hell out."
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Kevin Mullin, who represent San Francisco in the U.S. House of Representatives, issued a joint statement, calling the "aggressive" arrest "another heartbreaking example of how Trump’s inhumane immigration enforcement is terrorizing communities across America."