ICE Arrests Woman and Daughter at SFO Terminal 3's Secure Area

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducted a controversial enforcement operation inside San Francisco International Airport's secure area on Sunday night.

“SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — U”

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The agents arrested a woman and her daughter who were identified as Angelina Lopez-Jimenez and Wendy Godinez-Lopez.

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According to airport officials and immigration authorities, the arrests took place around 10 p.m. in Boarding Area E of Terminal 3.

Boarding Area E primarily serves United Airlines flights.

The Department of Homeland Security described the pair as 'ILLEGAL ALIENS' with final removal orders from an immigration judge dating back to 2019.

Airport officials maintained this was an isolated incident unrelated to broader enforcement actions.

The arrest sequence escalated when Lopez-Jimenez attempted to flee and resisted law enforcement officers while being escorted to the international terminal for processing.

Video evidence captured by bystanders showed ICE agents forcibly removing the woman from an airport bench.

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One agent was seen prying her fingers off while another assisted in pushing her into a chair.

The woman was eventually wheeled away in an airport wheelchair.

Her daughter, described as being around 10 years old with braids, walked beside the agents crying.

The agents were not in uniform, and bystanders demanded to see their badge numbers.

Video footage of the arrest quickly went viral on social media.

“Agentes del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE) detuvieron a una mujer inmigrante, frente a su hija, la noche de este domingo en el Aeropuerto Internacional de San Francisco (SFO), incidente que fue compartido en video en las redes sociales”

La Opinión

The videos amassed more than half a million views and 81,000 likes within 10 hours.

Bystanders captured multiple angles of the incident.

People were heard shouting 'shame on you,' 'leave her alone,' and 'you have no right to do this to a person' at the officers.

One bystander yelled 'this is illegal' while another shouted 'don't choke her'.

The incident occurred just hours before President Trump announced plans to deploy ICE agents to airports.

Local officials strongly condemned the arrest.

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie called it 'upsetting' and stressed that it appeared to be an isolated incident.

Mission Local

Lurie emphasized that SFPD officers 'remained at the scene to maintain public safety and were not involved in the incident.'

He highlighted the city's policy of not participating in federal civil immigration enforcement.

California State Senator Scott Wiener described ICE's tactics as 'violent and unacceptable'.

Wiener declared that 'ICE is not welcome in San Francisco or at San Francisco International Airport.'

Congressional representatives Nancy Pelosi and Kevin Mullin issued a joint statement rebuking the 'aggressive' arrest.

The arrest occurred against the backdrop of President Trump's announced plan to deploy armed ICE officers into at least 13 major airports.

“TSA screeners at SFO are private contractors who do not work for the agency”

NBC Bay Area

This deployment included airports in NYC, Houston, and Atlanta.

NBC Bay Area

The purpose was to supplement unpaid TSA workers during the partial government shutdown.

ICE agents, who are still receiving pay, were seen standing around and patrolling airport terminals.

Travelers continued to endure hours-long wait times at security checkpoints.

Questions were raised about using immigration officers for security functions they are not trained to perform.

San Francisco International Airport officials maintained that the incident was not part of any broader enforcement action.

Airport operations continued without disruption according to SFO spokesperson Doug Yakel.

Yakel stated that the airport 'was not involved in or notified in advance of this incident'.

He confirmed that 'airport operations continued without disruption, and there was no impact to flights or passenger processing.'

Airport officials acknowledged they were unable to verify 'who they were, what they were doing or why' regarding the federal immigration officers.

The airport noted that SFPD officers formed a defensive line around one of the presumed ICE agents.