Democratic lawmakers on Monday slammed the detainment of two individuals by federal immigration officers at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), an incident that occurred before officers were deployed to multiple airports to assist with security.
Video of the incident shared on social media show officers holding a woman down against the floor. The law enforcement officials refused to show their badges, while the woman, who was put in handcuffs, was wailing throughout the arrest.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) wrote Monday on social platform X that the arrest occurred on Sunday, a day before Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrived at airports.
The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) wrote in a statement that its officers were not involved in the arrest but responded to the airport at roughly 10 p.m. PDT and “remained at the scene to maintain public safety.”
DHS said that ICE officers arrested Angelina Lopez-Jimenez and Wendy-Godinez Lopez, undocumented migrants who received a final order of removal from an immigration judge in 2019.
“While being escorted to the international terminal for processing, Lopez-Jimenez attempted to flee and resisted law enforcement officers,” the department added. “ICE is working as quickly as possible to repatriate the family unit to their home country of Guatemala.”
Security wait times at airports nationwide have increased amid the DHS shutdown, as more than 400 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers have quit and call-out rates have risen significantly since the funding lapse began on Feb. 14. That led President Trump to deploy ICE officers to airports around the country, an operation overseen by White House border czar Tom Homan.
SFO is the largest airport in the U. S. that outsources security screening to private contractors in lieu of TSA employees, according to its website. All security procedures are managed and supervised by TSA staff, while the screeners are employed by a private company called Covenant Aviation Security.
Local and congressional Democrats expressed concern at the arrest. San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie (D) wrote Monday on X that the incident was “upsetting,” but noted that based on conversations with leaders at SFO and SFPD, they “believe this is an isolated incident.”
“We have no reason to believe there is broader federal immigration enforcement at SFO. … Under our city’s longstanding policies, local law enforcement does not participate in federal civil immigration enforcement,” he added. “Those policies keep us safe and will not change as long as I’m mayor.”
Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), who represents Sacramento, said Monday that the woman detained was a mother from that city who was arrested in front of her “young daughter.”
“This video showcases the cruelty we have come to expect from Trump’s ICE agents, but also the lasting trauma that will be inflicted on those who are forced to witness their disproportionate and deadly recklessness,” she wrote online.
“I am demanding answers as to why ICE treated this Sacramentan so violently in front of her daughter,” Matsui added.
On Monday, Homan said that ICE officers will conduct enforcement activities, in addition to helping TSA officers. The longtime immigration official has said in multiple interviews since Sunday that ICE officers will not directly assist TSA with security screenings, but instead will relieve officers from other areas, such as entry and exit lanes to security checkpoints.
“We’re going to arrest criminals going through the airport. We’re going to look for human trafficking, sex trafficking, money smuggling. We’re going to be at the airports, working with our brothers and sisters from TSA,” he said on Fox News’s “Hannity.”
The border czar also noted Monday on SiriusXM’s “Cuomo Mornings” that Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection already have a presence at airports.
Meanwhile, Trump said Monday that airports are “very fertile territory” for ICE officers.
“They love it because they’re able to now arrest illegals as they come into the country,” the president told reporters, referring to ICE officers.
“But that’s not why they’re there,” he added later. “They’re really there to help.”
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