Ukrainian woman arrested at SFO in ICE encounter caught on video
DHS said ICE arrested Iryna Gorb at San Francisco’s airport; video of agents pinning her down has immigration lawyers warning clients about flights.
By Frankie Delgado · News Reporter
3 min read
A Ukrainian woman arrested at SFO by immigration agents was identified by the Department of Homeland Security as Iryna Gorb, after video of the Wednesday night encounter inside San Francisco International Airport spread across social media.
DHS confirmed to NBC Bay Area that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Gorb at the airport on July 22. A DHS spokesperson said that when officers approached her, Gorb “attempted to flee and resisted arrest.”
Why was the Ukrainian woman arrested at SFO?
DHS said Gorb legally entered the United States in 2010 on a visa that allowed her to remain in the country through the end of May 2011. The department said she overstayed that visa and remained in the U.S. for another 15 years.
The DHS spokesperson said Gorb will stay in ICE custody while removal proceedings are pending. Removal proceedings are immigration cases in which the federal government seeks to deport someone from the United States.
NBC Bay Area did not report a public comment from Gorb or an attorney representing her.
What does the video show?
The video, recorded by Richmond City Council member Doria Robinson and posted to Instagram, shows a woman in a white shirt and dark pants on the floor outside a store at SFO. Two men who appear to be in plain clothes are seen holding her down as people nearby ask why she is being arrested.
In the footage, the woman can be heard shouting, “You’re choking me!” and “Please help me!” At another point, she shouts, “I’m from Ukraine!”
Robinson told NBC Bay Area she was past security in the Harvey Milk Terminal near the B7 gate shortly before 7:45 p.m., waiting for a flight, when she heard a woman screaming. She said she first wondered whether she was seeing domestic violence or human trafficking, then moved closer and started recording.
Robinson said she did not see the men wearing visible clothing or identification showing which agency they represented. She also said they did not answer questions from people in the terminal about who they worked for. According to Robinson, the men eventually handcuffed Gorb and took her away in a wheelchair.
Are immigration lawyers warning people not to fly?
Several immigration attorneys told NBC Bay Area they had seen the SFO video online. Bay Area immigration attorney Ghassan Shamieh, who does not represent Gorb, said the recording was disturbing to watch because “you could hear the fear and the pain in the woman’s voice.”
Shamieh said immigration lawyers he knows have noticed more detentions at airports in recent weeks. He told NBC Bay Area that four of his clients have been detained at airports, including one at SFO last week, and said none of those clients had criminal records.
Because of those cases, Shamieh said advocates and immigration attorneys are telling clients not to fly, including on domestic trips within the United States. NBC News has also reported similar airport detention stories around the country and a rise in ICE arrests since June.
What did SFO say about the ICE arrest?
An SFO spokesperson told NBC Bay Area the airport had no details about the arrest beyond what had appeared on social media. The spokesperson said ICE and DHS are federal agencies acting outside the airport’s jurisdiction.
Because of that, the spokesperson said, SFO is not part of decisions about those federal operations and is not notified when they happen.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.