Video of woman being detained by ICE at SFO Airport goes viral

A video circulating on social media showing a woman being detained by plainclothes, unmasked agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at San Francisco International Airport is drawing widespread attention and skepticism online.

The video began spreading just as ICE agents are expected to assist Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at airports nationwide this week, amid a partial government shutdown that has left roughly 50,000 TSA employees working without pay.

Following the video’s release, many social media users questioned both the presence and role of ICE agents at airports.

On Saturday, Donald Trump said he would direct ICE agents to support airport security operations if Congress does not reach an agreement to fund TSA. He added that agents could also be tasked with making immigration arrests at airports.

“If the radical left Democrats don’t immediately sign an agreement to let our country, in particular, our airports, be FREE and SAFE again, I will move our brilliant and patriotic ICE agents to the airports where they will do security like no one has ever seen before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

In response to the incident, SFO said in a post on its Instagram page that it believes the episode was isolated.

“We believe this is an isolated incident and have no reason to suspect broader enforcement action at SFO,” the airport said. “We were not involved in or notified in advance of this incident.”

That statement has also drawn criticism online, with some users questioning how such an incident could occur without airport awareness.

Until recently, masked ICE agents have been common nationwide. In a separate post, Trump expressed support for mask use in certain enforcement situations but said he prefers agents not wear masks when assisting at airports.

According to Border Czar Tom Homan, ICE’s role would focus on supporting TSA operations.

“Helping TSA do their mission and get the American public through that airport as quickly as they can while adhering to all the security guidelines and the protocols,” Homan said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.

The developments come as the partial government shutdown has led to increased absenteeism and staffing shortages at airports across the country, according to reports.