ICE detained San Francisco resident Iryna Gorb at SFO on July 22, 2026, for a visa overstay dating back to 2011. Captured on video, the arrest sparked criticism from local officials due to the use of force and Gorb’s potential deportation to Ukraine. She remains in custody as ICE reports record-high detention numbers and intensified enforcement under new federal policies.
- ICE agents detained a Ukrainian national at San Francisco International Airport following a documented struggle on July twenty-second.
- The Department of Homeland Security cites a fifteen-year visa overstay as the primary grounds for the enforcement action.
- Gorb is currently held in Kern County while officials proceed with removal to war-torn Ukraine.
ICE arrested Iryna Gorb at San Francisco International Airport on July 22 after agents approached her in Terminal 3, triggering a struggle captured on bystander video.
The 38-year-old Ukrainian national had landed on a domestic flight from Portland. Plainclothes agents pinned her to the ground, according to footage recorded by Richmond City Councilmember Doria Robinson.
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Gorb can be heard shouting, “They're f—ing ICE, I'm from Ukraine, please, somebody,” before saying, “You're f—ing choking me.”
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the arrest in a July 24 statement. The agency said Gorb overstayed a visa and had remained in the United States without legal status for 15 years.
“On July 22, ICE arrested Iryna Gorb, an illegal alien from Ukraine at the San Francisco International Airport. Gorb overstayed her visa and remained in the United States illegally for 15 years in violation of our nation's laws. She will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.”
A DHS spokesperson said officers moved in after Gorb tried to leave and resisted arrest.
DHS points to a visa that expired in 2011
DHS said Gorb entered the United States lawfully on July 6, 2010. Her visa remained valid until May 31, 2011, after which she stayed in the country without legal status.
The agency’s account places the arrest within its enforcement focus on visa overstays. DHS has indicated that such violations remain a priority regardless of an individual’s country of origin.
Gorb is now held at the California City Detention Facility in Kern County, California. She will remain in ICE custody while removal proceedings move forward, DHS said.
The department’s statement did not alter the details visible in the video. The footage shows two men in civilian clothing holding Gorb on the floor as she calls for help.
A photographer and barista with San Francisco ties
Gorb had lived in San Francisco for more than a decade. She worked as a professional photographer and barista, held a job at the Better Half Cafe, and operated a photography business.
Friends and local advocates have emphasized those community connections since the arrest. The case has also drawn attention to her expected removal to Ukraine, which remains under attack.
California State Senator Scott Wiener condemned the arrest and said Gorb was being processed for removal to a “war zone currently being invaded and bombed.”
That response places the enforcement action alongside the broader humanitarian concerns raised by Gorb’s destination. DHS, however, has maintained that the visa overstay remains the basis for enforcement.
The arrest came during a nationwide enforcement surge
ICE booked 43,000 people into immigration detention in June 2026, the highest monthly total of the current administration, according to ICE data. The agency’s daily arrest rate reached 1,474 between July 1 and July 11, also described as a record.
The figures provide the national backdrop to an arrest that began with a domestic flight and ended in detention. The airport encounter lasted only moments on the video, but it has become part of a wider enforcement push.
| Enforcement measure | Figure | Period |
|---|---|---|
| People booked into immigration detention | 43,000 | June 2026 |
| Daily ICE arrest rate | 1,474 per day | July 1 to July 11, 2026 |
Implementation of H.R. 1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” has accompanied the enforcement increase. The policy shift is aimed at increasing deportations for long-term visa overstayers.
On July 23, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued an administrative stay covering certain aspects of that policy in Venez. Ass'n of Mass. v. USCIS. The order did not directly halt enforcement actions such as the airport arrest.
The court action therefore did not stop Gorb’s detention. Her case remains tied to the individual visa history described by DHS and to the removal proceedings now pending against her.
The video has become central to the public dispute
Robinson’s recording shows Gorb on the ground between two men in plainclothes. Her words identify the men as ICE officers, while the DHS spokesperson’s account says she attempted to flee and resisted arrest.
Those two accounts frame the dispute over what happened at the airport. DHS has defended the officers’ intervention as a response to resistance, while Wiener, friends, and advocates have condemned the arrest and raised concerns about Gorb’s treatment and removal destination.
The government’s stated position remains direct: Gorb overstayed her visa, stayed without legal status, and will remain detained pending removal proceedings. The detention facility in Kern County is now the next location in the case.
This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney about your specific case.
