A woman originally from Ukraine who federal immigration authorities say allegedly overstayed her visa was arrested this week at San Francisco International Airport, sparking criticism from local officials.
“They just tackled her and dragged her off handcuffed to an airport wheelchair,” wrote Richmond City Councilmember Doria Robinson in a social media post featuring a video of the arrest she said she witnessed. “I have no words. This is unreal.”
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said that Iryna Gorb allegedly resisted arrest when officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials approached her on Wednesday inside a terminal.
“On July 22, ICE arrested Iryna Gorb, an illegal alien from Ukraine at the San Francisco International Airport,” DHS said in an email. “She attempted to flee and resisted arrest.”
According to DHS, Gorb entered the U.S. lawfully in July 2010 under a visa that allowed her to stay in the country until May 2011. She allegedly stayed in the U.S “illegally for 15 years in violation of our nation’s laws,” DHS said.
In Robinson’s video, Gorb can be seen on the ground with plainclothes ICE officers trying to restrain her. Gorb can be heard yelling “Please help me,” and “You’re choking me.”
Officials defend Gorb after arrest
The video circulated online and drew reactions from politicians like state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco.
“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,” Wiener said in a statement. “Trump’s terror machine has no place in California and neither does ICE.”
Gorb’s LinkedIn profile says that she runs a photography business in San Francisco.
“Iryna Gorb made a home in San Francisco and is one of many people who help make San Francisco run,” Wiener said. “She is part of our community.”
DHS said that Gorb will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
