{"id":150732,"date":"2026-07-21T05:34:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T00:04:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/?p=150732"},"modified":"2026-07-21T00:36:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T19:06:59","slug":"united-employee-threatens-to-call-ice-on-passenger-at-sfo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/21\/united-employee-threatens-to-call-ice-on-passenger-at-sfo\/","title":{"rendered":"United Airlines Employee Threatens To Call ICE On American Passenger At San Francisco"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>CHICAGO-<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/tag\/united-airlines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">United Airlines (UA)<\/a> is facing public scrutiny after one of its employees threatened to call U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on a Mexican American passenger during a ticketing dispute at <a href=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/?s=San+Francisco\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">San Francisco International Airport (SFO)<\/a>. A video of the encounter has spread widely online and prompted the airline to open a review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The passenger, Julio Varela, is a naturalized U.S. citizen who was traveling with his wife and two daughters to Montreal (YUL) on a United ticket operated by Air Canada (AC). What began as a booking correction turned into a heated confrontation captured on camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/wmleu12n-1024x576.webp\" alt=\"United Airlines Employee Threatens To Call ICE On American Passenger At San Francisco\" class=\"wp-image-80898\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/wmleu12n-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/wmleu12n-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/wmleu12n-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/wmleu12n-50x28.webp 50w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/wmleu12n-150x84.webp 150w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/wmleu12n-450x253.webp 450w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/wmleu12n-1200x675.webp 1200w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/wmleu12n.webp 1328w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Representative Photo: United Airlines<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-united-employee-threatens-passenger\">United Employee Threatens Passenger<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The dispute started with a name error on the ticket of Varela&#8217;s daughter. His wife had accidentally entered the girl&#8217;s middle name in the last-name field while booking the United reservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Varela, the family spent roughly 15 hours on the phone with both airlines before the trip but still arrived at SFO with the problem unresolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the airport, the family spent nearly three more hours being sent between the United and Air Canada counters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/tag\/air-canada\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Air Canada<\/a> was reportedly able to rebook three of the four family members. It still needed United to change the daughter&#8217;s ticket status from &#8220;exchanged&#8221; to &#8220;open&#8221; before completing her reservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-9-16 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"United Airlines Agents Threatens To Call ICE On Mexican-American Customer (Part 1)\" width=\"563\" height=\"1000\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rH9njjP8W1Y?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-passenger-insulted-the-agent-then-she-invoked-ice\">The Passenger Insulted The Agent, Then She Invoked ICE<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Varela says the United employee acted dismissively and indicated she did not care whether the family traveled that day. He then called her &#8220;lazy&#8221; and &#8220;rude&#8221; and repeatedly demanded her name while recording her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the video, the employee refuses to give her name, tells Varela to move away, and begins recording him with her own phone. After returning from a back room, she can be heard saying:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Maybe we should call ICE on you.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Varela asks her to repeat herself, she responds:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Maybe you need to be, because you don&#8217;t act like a citizen. Get away.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Varela then becomes visibly angry, challenges her to call ICE, accuses her of racism, and warns that she will lose her job. Toward the end of the clip, the employee walks out from behind the counter and reaches toward his phone, and the recording stops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Varela says his 14-year-old daughter was standing nearby and crying. Another United employee eventually stepped in and helped the family make the flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-united-and-union-issue-brief-statements\">United And Union Issue Brief Statements<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>United has so far offered only a short response:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re looking into the interaction in this video, but don&#8217;t have anything additional to share at this time.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The employee is a United gate agent represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM). She was wearing an &#8220;IAM Steward&#8221; badge, which suggests she holds a union leadership role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The IAM said it was aware of the circulating video but could not verify its authenticity or full context. The union stated that the comments in the video do not reflect its views or values, and that any matters arising from the incident would be handled through the processes set out in the collective bargaining agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/azu69ss9-1024x576.webp\" alt=\"United Airlines Employee Threatens To Call ICE On American Passenger At San Francisco\" class=\"wp-image-77315\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/azu69ss9-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/azu69ss9-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/azu69ss9-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/azu69ss9-50x28.webp 50w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/azu69ss9-1600x900.webp 1600w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/azu69ss9-1536x864.webp 1536w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/azu69ss9-150x84.webp 150w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/azu69ss9-450x253.webp 450w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/azu69ss9-1200x675.webp 1200w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/azu69ss9.webp 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: Cl\u00e9ment Alloing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-no-immigration-issue-was-involved\">No Immigration Issue Was Involved<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Varela was a ticketed passenger trying to resolve a reservation problem, and his citizenship had no bearing on the transaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The employee&#8217;s suggestion that he did not &#8220;act like a citizen&#8221; was unrelated to the service dispute at hand. Varela has acknowledged that he lost his temper and could have handled parts of the encounter differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/1280px-United_Airlines_-_N76529_-_Boeing_737-824_-_San_Francisco_International_Airport-0695-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"United Airlines Employee Threatens To Call ICE On American Passenger At San Francisco\" class=\"wp-image-35653\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/1280px-United_Airlines_-_N76529_-_Boeing_737-824_-_San_Francisco_International_Airport-0695-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/1280px-United_Airlines_-_N76529_-_Boeing_737-824_-_San_Francisco_International_Airport-0695-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/1280px-United_Airlines_-_N76529_-_Boeing_737-824_-_San_Francisco_International_Airport-0695-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/1280px-United_Airlines_-_N76529_-_Boeing_737-824_-_San_Francisco_International_Airport-0695-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/1280px-United_Airlines_-_N76529_-_Boeing_737-824_-_San_Francisco_International_Airport-0695-750x422.jpg 750w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/1280px-United_Airlines_-_N76529_-_Boeing_737-824_-_San_Francisco_International_Airport-0695-1140x641.jpg 1140w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/1280px-United_Airlines_-_N76529_-_Boeing_737-824_-_San_Francisco_International_Airport-0695.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: By \u00a9 Raimond Spekking \/ CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons), CC BY-SA 4.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=36745546<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-was-the-united-employee-suspended\">Was The United Employee Suspended?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Reports circulating online claim the employee was suspended pending an investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Varela told KQED that he learned of a possible suspension through a personal connection at United, and a Reddit user claiming to work at SFO made a similar assertion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, United has not confirmed her suspension or disclosed her current employment status. As of now, the only confirmed position from the airline is that it is investigating the interaction, so any claim that she has been suspended, fired, or disciplined remains unverified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/new-sfo-terminal-1-boarding-area-1024x576.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-129838\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/new-sfo-terminal-1-boarding-area-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/new-sfo-terminal-1-boarding-area-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/new-sfo-terminal-1-boarding-area-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/new-sfo-terminal-1-boarding-area-50x28.webp 50w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/new-sfo-terminal-1-boarding-area-1600x900.webp 1600w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/new-sfo-terminal-1-boarding-area-1536x864.webp 1536w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/new-sfo-terminal-1-boarding-area-150x84.webp 150w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/new-sfo-terminal-1-boarding-area-450x253.webp 450w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/new-sfo-terminal-1-boarding-area-1200x675.webp 1200w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/new-sfo-terminal-1-boarding-area.webp 1840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: Arup<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bottom-line\">Bottom Line<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The passenger escalated the confrontation by insulting the employee, raising his voice, and repeatedly pressing for her name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The United employee crossed a more serious line by threatening to call ICE on a Mexican American customer and telling him he did not act like a citizen. The airline&#8217;s investigation will determine what, if any, action follows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stay tuned with us. Further, follow us on social media for the latest updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Join us on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/s\/aviationa2z\" rel=\"nofollow\">Telegram Group\u00a0<\/a>for the Latest Aviation Updates. Subsequently, follow us on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMPLdrgsw_-jGAw?hl=en-IN&amp;gl=IN&amp;ceid=IN%3Aen\">Google News<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-aviation-a-2-z wp-block-embed-aviation-a-2-z\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"cVRI4dBbUK\"><a href=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/20\/united-airlines-to-open-crew-rest-bunks-to-non-rev-flight-attendants\/\">United Airlines to Open Crew Rest Bunks to Non-Rev Flight Attendants<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;United Airlines to Open Crew Rest Bunks to Non-Rev Flight Attendants&#8221; &#8212; Aviation A2Z\" src=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/20\/united-airlines-to-open-crew-rest-bunks-to-non-rev-flight-attendants\/embed\/#?secret=vzyT5RTrh7#?secret=cVRI4dBbUK\" data-secret=\"cVRI4dBbUK\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>United Airlines employee threatens to call ICE on a Mexican American passenger during a ticketing dispute at SFO airport.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":125,"featured_media":57288,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6761,7308],"tags":[2724,5090,178,6201,24320],"class_list":{"0":"post-150732","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"category-us-airlines-news","9":"tag-air-canada","10":"tag-san-francisco","11":"tag-united-airlines","12":"tag-united-airlines-news","13":"tag-united-airlines-passenger-bites-flight-attendant"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/125"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=150732"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150732\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":150734,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150732\/revisions\/150734"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=150732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=150732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}