Federal immigration agents detained a mother and daughter at San Francisco International Airport on Sunday evening, March 22, in a physical confrontation captured on video that prompted sharp condemnation from city and congressional leaders.
Agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Angelina Lopez-Jimenez and her daughter Wendy Godinez-Lopez in the United Airlines departure area of Terminal 3. Bystander footage showed plainclothes agents pinning Lopez-Jimenez to the floor as her daughter watched. The video spread quickly online and drew immediate political reaction.
The Department of Homeland Security identified the women as Sacramento-area residents who had been in the country illegally and held a final deportation order to Guatemala, issued in 2019. Federal officials said Lopez-Jimenez attempted to flee and physically resisted agents as they escorted her toward the international terminal, prompting the use of force. DHS said both women have since been deported to Guatemala.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie called the scene “disturbing” but stressed that SFPD officers were present only to maintain public order and took no part in the federal operation. Under the city’s Sanctuary Policy, local police do not assist ICE enforcement actions.
State Sen. Scott Wiener and Rep. Doris Matsui condemned the tactics. “I am deeply outraged by the video of the Sacramento mother being arrested,” Matsui said. “She is our neighbor and a member of our community.”
The arrest came as the Trump administration deployed ICE agents to 14 major U.S. airports to bolster TSA staffing during a partial government shutdown. DHS said the SFO detention was a planned, routine enforcement action unrelated to the airport security initiative.