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Plainclothes ICE Agents Detain Ukrainian Woman at SFO

The viral footage has focused scrutiny on airport enforcement practices, raising legal and humanitarian concerns about detaining long‑term residents.

Overview

  • Iryna Gorb, 38, was taken into custody after deplaning from Portland on Wednesday and is being held at the California City Detention Facility while she faces removal proceedings.
  • Video recorded by Richmond councilmember Doria Robinson shows plainclothes officers pinning a woman to the ground as bystanders asked them to identify themselves and the woman yelled that they were choking her.
  • DHS and ICE say Gorb lawfully entered the U.S. in 2010, overstayed a visa that expired in 2011, and resisted and attempted to flee when officers approached her.
  • Immigration lawyers warn that TSA and DHS data sharing plus airport surveillance tools such as facial recognition make terminals a high‑risk place for noncitizen travelers and advise consulting counsel before flying.
  • Advocates and local officials have mobilized legal aid and fundraising as independent data show a sharp rise in ICE arrests in June and early July, putting renewed focus on airport arrest tactics and detention conditions.