Bay Area official responds after her video showing ICE agents tackling woman at SFO goes viral
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A local leader who caught video of ICE agents arresting a Ukrainian woman at San Francisco International Airport is speaking out.
"I'm waiting for my flight, waiting for my group to be called. And her - a woman - screaming for help on top of her lungs," said Richmond City Councilmember Doria Robinson. "Any you know, just every lady alarm went off, like there's somebody who needs help."
Richmond City Councilmember Doria Robinson was there watching the event unfold.
"Just all of us - hundreds of people at all of our gates - watching this thing happen. That just was a thing that shouldn't happen, " she said.
VIDEO: Video shows ICE agents in plain clothes detaining Ukrainian woman at SFO
Iryna Gorb was taken into custody Wednesday after returning from a trip to Portland, according to friends and state Sen. Scott Wiener, who has helped connect her with legal assistance.
The arrest gained widespread attention after Robinson recorded video of the encounter at SFO. The footage, which quickly circulated online, shows agents detaining Gorb inside the airport.
"This is just another example of ICE going over the top," Wiener said. "This is a woman who has committed no crime. And remember Trump promised he was going after the worst of the worst violent criminals."
Friends say Gorb, a Ukrainian national, has built her life in San Francisco, working in cafes and as a photographer. They describe her as a longtime member of the city's community and say they were shocked by her detention.
"She's lived in San Francisco for a decade; she works here; she has friends here; she's part of our community, and they just grabbed her and want to deport her back to a war zone," Wiener said.
The senator, who has authored several state laws aimed at protecting immigrant communities, also criticized ICE's tactics. Wiener noted that agents involved in the arrest appeared to be in plain clothes, a practice that has drawn scrutiny in recent immigration enforcement operations.
"Why they feel the need to roam around SFO is beyond me," Wiener said. "They are not doing anything to keep the community safe; they are just engaging in a torture campaign, a terror campaign."
In a statement to ABC7 Eyewitness News, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed Gorb's arrest and defended the agency's actions.
"Gorb overstayed her visa and remained in the United States illegally for 15 years in violation of our nation's laws," the statement said. "She will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceeding."
Friends have been working to secure legal representation and track Gorb's whereabouts as she moves through the immigration detention system.
Andy Eblin, a close friend, said he spoke with Gorb after her arrest and described her as increasingly distressed.
"She is substantially more rattled than the last time I spoke with her, given she's been pulled halfway across the state and put in a detention facility," Eblin said.
Eblin said the video recorded by Robinson proved critical in helping friends understand what had happened.
"That video has been incredibly, incredibly instrumental," he said. "We'd be in a much, much worse situation without it."
As attorneys prepare to challenge her detention, Gorb remains in ICE custody awaiting immigration proceedings. Her case comes amid ongoing debate over federal immigration enforcement and the administration's policies toward undocumented immigrants living in the U.S.
