United Airlines Employee Threatens Immigration Enforcement Action Against Mexican American Passenger at San Francisco Airport

A San Ramon business owner says a United Airlines customer service representative at San Francisco International Airport threatened to call immigration authorities on him during a dispute over a family travel booking, a confrontation captured in video that has drawn public attention. The employee allegedly made the threat after the passenger requested her identification and asked to report her conduct regarding an unresolved ticketing problem.

The Dispute Unfolds

Julio Varela, a Mexican American naturalized U.S. citizen, arrived at SFO on a Tuesday in July with his wife and two daughters preparing to fly to Montreal. The family had spent approximately 15 hours on telephone calls with the airlines over the preceding two weeks attempting to resolve an error: his wife had mistakenly entered their daughter's middle name in the last-name field when booking the flight months earlier.

Following guidance from a United representative to arrive early for in-airport resolution, the family waited nearly three hours at the ticketing counter. An Air Canada representative working with United was close to fixing the problem when a United employee intervened, dismissing the effort and stating she could not assist them. When Varela asked for the worker's name to file a complaint, she refused to identify herself and pulled out her phone to begin recording.

The Recorded Confrontation

In the video footage that surfaced online, the employee can be heard saying "Maybe we should call ICE on you," referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. When Varela asked her to repeat the statement, she responded: "Maybe you need to be, because you don't act like a citizen. Get away." The confrontation escalated as both parties recorded each other at what appeared to be a United customer-service counter.

Varela expressed concern about the implications of the threat, stating that as a U.S. citizen, the ICE reference alarmed him given current immigration enforcement activity. He also noted that neither United Airlines nor San Francisco International Airport had contacted his family following the incident to provide assurance regarding their legal status or safe return to the airport.

Airline Response

United Airlines acknowledged the incident in a brief statement, saying the company was reviewing the interaction but declined to provide additional details at the time the story emerged. The airline did not respond to requests for further information about whether any personnel actions were being considered.