SAN FRANCISCO — California State Sen. Scott Wiener on Thursday condemned the violent arrest of San Francisco resident and Ukrainian immigrant Iryna Gorb by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers at San Francisco International Airport, arguing the incident highlights growing concerns over aggressive federal immigration enforcement, community safety and the deportation of individuals to active war zones.
According to a press release issued by Wiener’s office, ICE agents violently grabbed and detained Gorb at the airport on Wednesday, July 22. The statement says federal authorities are currently holding Gorb and plan to deport her to her hometown in Ukraine, an area located on the front lines of the ongoing war. The release adds that the arrest was captured in a viral video, which advocates say reflects a broader summer surge in federal immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.
The press release states that Gorb made her home in San Francisco, contributed to the local community and had never been found to have committed any crimes before her detention. In the release, Wiener characterized the arrest as an aggressive overreach by federal authorities that disrupts local neighborhoods and inflicts severe emotional distress on immigrant families.
In his statement, Wiener called for an immediate end to federal immigration enforcement operations of this nature.
“ICE’s terror campaign against our communities must end,” Wiener said in the release. “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.”
The press release states that immigration arrest rates across California and the nation have reached their highest levels of the second Trump administration. Advocates and state lawmakers argue that these heightened enforcement actions frequently target individuals with deep community ties who pose no threat to public safety, creating a widespread climate of fear in local neighborhoods.
In the press release, Wiener argued that federal immigration enforcement harms local neighborhoods and undermines public safety efforts.
“ICE’s violence here and across the county, including murdering several people including the execution of in recent weeks, creates chaos, stokes fear, and destabilizes communities,” Wiener said in the release. “Trump’s terror machine has no place in California, and neither does ICE.”
The arrest at San Francisco International Airport comes amid ongoing disputes over federal jurisdiction at major transit hubs and airports throughout California. Under California law, including the California Values Act (SB 54), state and local law enforcement agencies are prohibited from using local resources to assist federal immigration enforcement in most circumstances. However, federal agencies such as ICE continue to operate independently on federal property and at international ports of entry, leading to frequent conflicts with community members and state officials.
Wiener’s office is calling for federal accountability and an immediate end to the deportation of community members who have committed no crimes. State leaders say they remain committed to protecting California residents from what they characterize as federal overreach and to supporting immigrants who face deportation to dangerous conflict zones.
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