- A United Airlines agent threatened to call ICE on a naturalized U.S. citizen during a July 2026 ticketing dispute.
- The confrontation began over a three-hour booking error involving a minor’s name at San Francisco International Airport.
- United Airlines and the IAM Union are investigating the incident after video of the exchange went viral online.
A United Airlines employee allegedly threatened to call ICE on Julio Varela during a July 14 ticketing dispute at San Francisco International Airport, a confrontation captured in a video that later spread online.
Varela, a 54-year-old father of three from San Ramon, California, is a naturalized U.S. citizen who was traveling with his family to Montreal. He said the family spent nearly three hours moving between airline counters after a booking error affected his daughter’s reservation.
The dispute began as an Air Canada agent appeared close to correcting the problem. Varela said the United worker intervened, dismissed the family’s concerns and began recording the encounter on her phone.
The exchange escalated quickly.
“Maybe we should call ICE on you.”
Varela said the employee also told him, “You’re not acting like a citizen.” He challenged her to repeat the statement and asked for her name so he could report her.
United said it is investigating the interaction. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which represents the employee, said the comments shown in the video “do not reflect the views or values” of the IAM Union.
A daughter’s ticket error kept the family at the airport for hours
The family’s itinerary involved Air Canada flight 758 from San Francisco to Montreal, booked through United. A mistake involving the daughter’s name caused the tickets to be purged from the reservation system.
Varela said his wife had entered their daughter’s middle name in the last-name field while booking the trip. The family spent approximately 15 to 20 hours on the phone before leaving for the airport.
They arrived at 8:15 a.m. for an 11:40 a.m. departure. The family then moved between United and Air Canada counters while employees worked on the reservation.
A second United employee eventually helped resolve the issue, according to Varela. He said the intervention came as an Air Canada agent was reportedly close to fixing the booking.
Varela said the employee at the center of the confrontation told him, “I don’t care if you guys fly out today or not.” He described calling her “lazy” and “rude” and asking to see her name tag before she began recording him.
His family remained nearby during the exchange. Varela said his 14-year-old daughter was crying.
The video prompted an airline investigation and union response
The video shows the employee making the immigration-related threat during the argument. Varela recorded the confrontation on his mobile phone and uploaded it to Reddit, where it spread across social media platforms including Reddit and X.
United said, “We’re looking into the interaction in this video, but don’t have anything additional to share at this time.” The airline has not publicly identified the employee.
The IAM Union said the employee was being held out of service pending further investigation. The airline has not publicly confirmed whether she was suspended or terminated.
The union’s statement addressed the employee’s remarks rather than the underlying ticket dispute. It said the comments, “As depicted,” did not represent the organization’s views or values.
An airport spokesperson declined to comment on the airline’s internal personnel matters. The airport itself did not announce disciplinary action.
Varela feared detention during the trip home
Varela said the threat changed how he viewed the family’s return journey from Montreal. He said he worried that immigration authorities could detain him when he arrived back in the United States, despite his citizenship.
“I don’t know what’s gonna happen when I get back.”
He returned to the airport on Saturday without incident. The fear, however, continued after the argument ended.
Varela said he was born in Mexico, became a U.S. citizen and owns a business. He also said he pays taxes and employs people.
“I am Mexican. I was born in Mexico, I am a U.S. citizen. I own my own business. I pay taxes. I employ people. For her. to say that to a minority, especially a Hispanic person, I think it’s really, really hateful and it’s really racist.”
He said the confrontation reflected more than poor customer service. His stated concern was that other immigrants and minority passengers could face similar treatment during routine travel disputes.
The employee’s identity and final status remain undisclosed
The airline has not named the customer service representative. The union’s account says she remains out of service while the investigation proceeds, while public airline statements have stopped at confirming a review of the interaction.
The video has fueled calls for the employee’s termination and renewed scrutiny of airline customer-service training. Those reactions followed the clip’s circulation online, rather than a completed finding by the airline.
The ticket issue itself was resolved, allowing Varela’s family to travel to Montreal. The dispute now centers on the employee’s words, the alleged physical contact and the airline’s response.
Varela said he wants the airline held accountable so other travelers are not subjected to similar threats. “If this happens to you, stand up. You have got to fight back,” he said.
