On March 22, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in regular clothes arrested 41-year-old Angelina Lopez-Jiminez at San Francisco International Airport. Lopez-Jiminez’s nine-year-old daughter stood nearby as SFPD officers formed a barrier between the ICE agents and bystanders.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reposted a video of the detainment to the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, on March 23. “These illegal aliens had a final removal order of removal from an immigration judge since 2019,” the post read.
According to a New York Times article, government documents showed Lopez-Jimenez and her daughter on their way to a domestic flight when Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents notified ICE of their presence. Since March 2025, the TSA and ICE have been exchanging information to identify passengers with removal orders.
Some have raised concerns about the SFPD’s involvement in the arrest because San Francisco is a sanctuary city. This means city employees are prohibited from using city funds or resources to assist ICE in enforcing federal immigration law — except when required by federal or state law to do so, often in cases of serious criminal activity.
Angela Chan, an assistant chief attorney at the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, addressed Lopez-Jiminez’s arrest at a March 25 rally. “You don’t need a law degree to understand the SFPD violated state and local sanctuary laws that night,” she said. “[Police] were there to protect ICE. They were not there to protect the mom or her little girl, who were being abducted in the middle of the airport.”
The San Francisco Police Department published a statement about the arrest on Instagram on March 23. “SFPD officers were not involved in the incident but remained at the scene to maintain public safety,” the post wrote.
Other local politicians have criticised ICE’s actions on March 22 — including California Sen. Scott Weiner and Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Kevin Mullin.
Urban students have already taken action against ICE activity. On Jan. 30, almost two-thirds of the student body attended a walkout protesting ICE’s actions.
Dean of Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Jason Ernest Feldman addressed how students can find support at school if they have been impacted by ICE activity in local communities. “As always, the adults at Urban are here to support our students. From grade deans, to counselors, to advisors, to affinity/ally group leaders and of course myself, we are all here to help,” he said.