Controversial Arrest of Ukrainian Woman at San Francisco International Airport

A video capturing the arrest of a Ukrainian woman by immigration agents at San Francisco International Airport is prompting discussions and inquiries into the arrest’s execution. This incident is part of a broader trend of similar occurrences across the nation since June, leading legal experts to warn clients against air travel.

The video depicts a woman wearing a white shirt and dark pants being restrained on the floor outside an SFO store by two plainclothes men. The woman shouts, “You’re choking me!” and “Please help me!” as onlookers gather, questioning the men about the arrest’s justification. At one point, the woman exclaims, “I’m from Ukraine!”

Doria Robinson, a Richmond city council member present at the airport around 7:45 p.m., captured the incident on video, which has since circulated widely on social media. Robinson, waiting for her flight at the time, recounts being inside the Harvey Milk Terminal at the B7 gate, post-security, when she heard a woman screaming.

“I looked across and saw two men dragging a woman from a shop and pinning her to the ground while she screamed,” Robinson remembers. Her initial thoughts concerned domestic violence or human trafficking, but she realized otherwise as she approached and started recording. Robinson estimates that hundreds at the terminal witnessed the event.

Robinson notes the men lacked visible identification linking them to any agency, and despite the crowd’s inquiries, they provided no answers. Ultimately, the woman was handcuffed and transported in a wheelchair.

“She will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings,” a DHS spokesperson said.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed to NBC Bay Area that ICE arrested Iryna Gorb, a Ukrainian woman, on July 22 at SFO. According to DHS, Gorb entered the U.S. legally in 2010, but overstayed her visa, remaining for an additional 15 years. The spokesperson claimed Gorb attempted to flee and resisted arrest.

Several immigration attorneys have viewed the arrest video. “You could hear the fear and pain in the woman’s voice,” said Ghassan Shamieh, a Bay Area immigration attorney. Although Shamieh does not represent Gorb, he expressed concern over the footage. He and fellow attorneys have noted increased airport detentions recently, with Shamieh stating that four of his clients, all without criminal records, have been detained at airports, including one detained last week at SFO. Consequently, legal advocates are advising clients to avoid air travel within the United States.

Robinson feels troubled by the arrest and is concerned about Gorb’s future. “What we do know is we were complicit in it, and there was nothing we could do to help her, and that was just demoralizing, just painful,” Robinson remarked.

SFO representatives informed NBC Bay Area that the airport lacks details about the incident, only learning about it through social media. They emphasized that ICE and DHS are federal agencies not under airport jurisdiction, and the airport is uninformed about their operations or activities.