Mohan Sinha
27 Mar 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Democrat politicians and other local officials in California condemned the detention of a crying woman by federal officers at the San Francisco International Airport on March 22.

A video posted by an NBC affiliate ‌on March 23 showed the woman in tears and screaming as officers held her down, while her daughter looked on, crying.

State Senator Scott Wiener, a Democrat, said the incident only caused fear and confusion. San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie also said it was upsetting.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said on X that the videos showed the arrest of people who were in the U.S. illegally. It said ICE officers arrested Angelina Lopez-Jimenez and Wendy Godinez-Lopez at San Francisco International Airport, and that the family had a final deportation order to Guatemala from 2019.

Democratic Representative Doris Matsui said the detained woman lived in Sacramento and was part of the local community.

Donald Trump's immigration crackdown and use of ICE agents have been widely criticized by human rights groups, who say it violates legal rights and makes people—especially minorities—feel unsafe. Trump says his actions are meant to improve security and reduce illegal immigration.

The airport said it was not involved or informed beforehand, and called the incident isolated. Flights and passenger services were not affected. San Francisco police also said they were not involved.

The DHS said the arrests happened before ICE officers were sent to airports. On March 23, Trump deployed armed immigration agents to help reduce long security lines at major airports caused by staff shortages.

Democrats have refused to approve funding for DHS unless limits are placed on immigration agents, and there is no sign that the disagreement between Republicans and Democrats will end soon.