SAN FRANCISCO- A United Airlines (UA) customer service agent at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is facing public scrutiny after a video showed her threatening to call U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on a passenger. The agent reportedly said the passenger did not act like a citizen.
The 83-second clip captured a heated exchange at the counter, with both the agent and the passenger recording each other. The passenger, who filmed the encounter, stated that he is a U.S. citizen and that the confrontation began after he received poor service.
United Agent Threatens ICE Call on Passenger
The footage begins with the argument already underway. The passenger repeatedly challenges the agent to call ICE, while a second employee asks whether he wants police involved. The passenger insists on ICE being contacted, referencing the agent’s earlier statement.
He raises his voice, calls the agent lazy, rude, and racist, predicts that she will lose her job, and says he intends to sue.
Near the end of the clip, the agent steps away from the counter and walks toward the passenger while still holding her phone. She reaches toward his camera, and the image shakes, View from the Wing reported.
The Passenger’s Account
The passenger said the incident took place on Wednesday after the agent was rude and dismissive. He stated that he asked for her name so he could file a report against her and confirmed that he is a U.S. citizen.
The agent’s badge identified her as a union steward with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM).
The video does not show what happened before recording started, and the passenger may have been difficult earlier in the interaction. Observers note that if a passenger behaves in a threatening manner, local law enforcement is the standard next step, not federal immigration authorities.
Citizenship Is Not Required For Air Travel
Air travel within the United States carries no citizenship requirement. Non-citizens fly regularly, including foreign nationals working on visas, tourists, permanent residents, and temporary visitors.
A passenger’s immigration status has no bearing on their eligibility to board a flight, which makes the reported reason for the threat irrelevant to the service being provided.
Legal Protections Against Discrimination
California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act requires businesses to provide equal service regardless of citizenship or immigration status. Federal law also prohibits airlines from discriminating in air transportation based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex or ancestry.
Legal analysts suggest a state claim under the Unruh Act would likely survive preemption under the Airline Deregulation Act, which limits state regulation of airline routes, prices and services.
Even so, a lawsuit may struggle to succeed based on the video alone, since the footage does not show the passenger being denied travel. The exchange still reflects poor customer service regardless of who started it.
Past ICE Incidents At San Francisco Airport
San Francisco International Airport has been the site of earlier ICE-related confrontations. In March, plainclothes ICE agents detained a woman near gate E2 in Terminal 3, with a young girl reported crying nearby. That case drew attention to the presence of immigration enforcement in airport terminals.
Broader Pattern Of Passenger Complaints
Several online commenters said they recognized the agent from their own negative experiences with United at the airport.
One claimed she previously declined to check him in through the premier service line, assuming he lacked elite status. Another said they had reported the same agent in the past.
Comparable complaints about specific staff members have surfaced at other carriers over the years, including American Airlines (AA) at San Diego International Airport (SAN). Such cases highlight how the actions of individual employees can shape public perception of an airline.
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