United Airlines ICE Threat
A United Airlines employee is under investigation after allegedly threatening to call U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on a Bay Area family during a heated dispute at San Francisco International Airport, an incident that has drawn national attention after video of the confrontation spread across social media.
The incident took place on July 14 at a United Airlines ticket counter at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). Julio Varela, a San Ramon resident and naturalized U.S. citizen, said he and his family were trying to resolve a ticketing issue involving one of his daughters before their flight to Montreal. According to Varela, they spent hours being sent back and forth between United Airlines and Air Canada because of a name error on the reservation.
Frustrated by the lack of progress, Varela began recording his interaction with a United employee after asking for her name. The employee also pulled out her phone to record him. During the exchange, the employee can be heard saying, “Maybe we should call ICE on you. You’re not acting like a citizen.”
The comment immediately escalated the confrontation. Varela, who immigrated from Mexico and later became a U.S. citizen, responded by telling the employee to call ICE if she believed it was necessary. He later said the remark was discriminatory and deeply offensive, arguing that his ethnicity should never have been used as part of a customer service dispute.
Videos posted online captured portions of the argument, showing both parties recording each other while other airport employees attempted to intervene. At one point, another employee asked whether airport police should be called. Varela instead referenced the ICE comment, saying that was who the employee had suggested contacting. He also alleged that the employee approached him and knocked his phone away while he was recording, although the available footage does not clearly show any physical contact.
Varela said the confrontation was especially upsetting because his teenage daughter witnessed the entire incident and became emotional during the exchange. He said what should have been the start of a family vacation instead turned into an experience his family will not forget.
United Airlines has acknowledged the incident and confirmed it is conducting an internal investigation. The airline has not publicly identified the employee or announced whether any disciplinary action has been taken.
In a statement, United said it is reviewing the interaction but declined to provide additional details while the investigation is ongoing.
The employee shown in the videos appeared to be wearing identification indicating she is affiliated with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the union representing many airline employees. The union said it could not verify the full context of the incident but stated that the comments heard in the video do not reflect its values. It also noted that any employment-related actions would be handled through the collective bargaining process.
The incident has reignited conversations about immigration, racial profiling, and customer treatment at airports. While ICE officers routinely conduct immigration enforcement activities across the country, civil rights advocates argue that invoking immigration authorities during routine customer service disputes can intimidate travelers and create fear, particularly among immigrant communities and people of Hispanic or Latino heritage.
Despite the confrontation, another United Airlines employee eventually resolved the reservation issue, allowing Varela and his family to board their flight to Montreal. Varela has since said he is considering legal action and hopes the incident leads to greater accountability and improved customer service training.
