A viral video showing federal immigration agents detaining a woman and her young child at San Francisco International Airport on Sunday night has ignited swift condemnation from local leaders and reignited the debate over ICE enforcement tactics in sanctuary cities.

The footage, which spread rapidly across social media, shows plainclothes agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement restraining a woman near a gate while her daughter stands nearby visibly distressed. In the videos, witnesses can be heard demanding that officers show identification, while San Francisco police officers formed a protective line between the arrest and onlookers to maintain public safety.

The SFPD responded to a 911 call around 10 p.m. Sunday but clarified in a statement Monday that its officers were not involved in the actual detention. “Consistent with our City Charter, state law, and SFPD department policy, we do not assist in the enforcement of civil federal immigration laws”, the department said.

The Department of Homeland Security identified the woman as Angelina Lopez-Jimenez and stated she had been ordered deported by an immigration judge back in 2019. The agency claimed Lopez-Jimenez resisted arrest while being escorted to the international terminal and that ICE was working to return her and a family unit to Guatemala. However, the agency did not explicitly address the presence of her young daughter during the detention or the circumstances surrounding the arrest.

Mayor Daniel Lurie acknowledged the incident was troubling but suggested it was an isolated event, saying there’s no indication of broader federal immigration enforcement happening at SFO. “Like many San Franciscans, I found the incident at SFO last night upsetting”, Lurie stated.

California State Senator Scott Wiener didn’t hold back, delivering a sharp critique at an airport news conference Monday. “ICE is not welcome in San Francisco or at San Francisco International Airport”, Wiener declared, calling the scene “horrible, with a child there”. He called on congressional Democrats to refuse funding for ICE and Border Patrol unless there’s fundamental reform, including stopping agents from wearing masks during operations and prohibiting warrantless home entries.

Wiener also highlighted his No Kings Act legislation advancing through Sacramento, which would allow people to sue federal agents for alleged constitutional violations. “Right now, it is almost impossible to sue a federal agent, even for the most egregious constitutional violations”, he explained.

The incident also drew attention from national figures. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Kevin Mullin issued a joint statement condemning what they called “Trump’s inhumane immigration enforcement”, describing the detention as “yet another heartbreaking example” of how immigration policies are “terrorizing communities across America”.