Full Breakdown
ICE Arrest of Ukrainian Immigrant Iryna Gorb at San Francisco International Airport
7/25/2026, 1:29:24 PM
Core Event
On July 22, plain-clothes ICE agents detained 38-year-old Iryna Gorb at San Francisco International Airport after she returned from Portland, Oregon. The arrest was captured on social-media video that quickly spread online.
Background & Context
Gorb entered the United States on July 6 2010 under a visa that expired on May 31 2011. A DHS spokesperson said she has been in the country illegally for 15 years. Attorneys note a recent surge in airport ICE arrests; Milli Atkinson of the San Francisco Bar Association says ICE is now using passenger-identification data to target travelers.
Timeline
- July 6 2010 – Gorb enters on a temporary visa.
- May 31 2011 – Visa expires; she remains in the U.S.
- July 22 – ICE arrests Gorb at SFO; she is transferred to California City Detention Facility.
- July 1–11 – Nationwide ICE arrests peak at a record 1,474 per day, according to analysis by Austin Kocher.
Data & Statistics
- ICE booked more than 43,000 people in June, the highest monthly total since the second Trump administration began.
- From July 1 to 11, daily ICE arrests rose to 1,474, a record level identified by Syracuse professor Austin Kocher.
- Immigration attorneys have reported at least four recent airport detentions in the Bay Area, none involving criminal records, prompting advisories against domestic air travel.
On-the-Ground Reports
Robinson, waiting near gate B7, heard a woman screaming and saw two men seize her in a terminal shop. She reported that the agents offered no identification and ignored bystander questions. The video shows Gorb repeatedly pleading for help while agents restrained her.
Verbatim Quotes
- “They put hands on her, pulled her down to the ground and we see the agent get on top of her,” — City Councilmember Doria Robinson
- “It just felt in your heart and your soul that that was not right.” — Andy Eblin, friend of Gorb
- “I looked across, and I saw two men taking a woman who was in a shop across the way, pulling her down to the ground, getting on top of her as she’s screaming,” — City Councilmember Doria Robinson
- “That’s why advocates and immigration attorneys alike are advising clients not to travel via plane even domestically within the United States,” — Ghassan Shamieh
- “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,” — State Sen. Scott Wiener
What’s Next
Gorb is scheduled to meet an attorney on Friday after her transfer to California City Detention Facility. Immigration advocates recommend contacting the rapid-response line for San Francisco (415-200-1548) and consulting the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice for resources on court locations and asylum procedures.
