Woman from Ukraine detained by ICE at San Francisco International Airport
By Tim Fang
A woman from Ukraine living in the U.S. for over a decade was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at San Francisco International Airport, in an incident caught on video.
The video showed the woman, later identified as Iryna Gorb, on the ground as two men in plainclothes take her into custody.
The woman is heard shouting, “You’re choking me!” and asking passersby for help. When a witness asks why she’s being arrested, she is heard saying “they’re f—— ICE, I’m from Ukraine.”
In a statement to CBS News Bay Area, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed Gorb was arrested at the airport on Wednesday. Officials said Gorb had lawfully entered the U.S. on July 6, 2010 and had a visa that allowed her to stay through May 31, 2011.
“Gorb overstayed her visa and remained in the United States illegally for 15 years in violation of our nation’s laws. She will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings,” the agency said.
State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) condemned the arrest.
“Iryna Gorb made a home in San Francisco and is one of many people who help make San Francisco run. She is part of our community. Iryna committed no crime, but ICE nevertheless violently grabbed her and is now trying to deport her to Ukraine, a war zone currently being invaded and bombed by Putin,” Wiener said in a statement.
The arrest comes amid a rise in the number of people in immigration detention. Data from ICE showed that more than 43,000 people were booked in June, the highest monthly total since President Trump returned to office last year.
At least one other woman with Bay Area ties has been arrested by immigration authorities at an airport this week. On Monday, Chantal Alejandra Morales Rojas was arrested while attempting to board a flight at Denver International Airport to the Bay Area.
Morales Rojas, who is originally from Ecuador and living in Oakland, entered the country in 2024, according to Homeland Security. While agency officials said she had overstayed her visa, her attorney said she had filed an application with U.S. immigration authorities while her case has been pending.
