United Airlines Investigates Incident Involving Staff Member's Alleged Threat to Contact Immigration Authorities

Deep News
Jul 21

Recent video footage from San Francisco International Airport has drawn significant public attention online.

The clip shows a United Airlines employee involved in a ticketing dispute with a passenger, threatening to call U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. United Airlines has confirmed it is investigating the incident.

The individual involved is Julio Varela, a resident of the East Bay. On July 11th, he, his wife, and their three daughters planned to travel through SFO to Montreal. An error on a daughter's ticket, where her middle and last names were transposed, required correction at the airport.

Varela stated that after spending hours between the United and Air Canada counters, a United employee became hostile, saying they "don't care" if the family missed their flight.

When Varela asked for the employee's name and began recording, the employee also raised a phone to record. In the video, the employee tells Varela, "Maybe we should call ICE... because you're not acting like a citizen." Varela, a naturalized citizen who immigrated to the U.S. at age 14, called the remarks deeply insulting and threatening, causing his young daughter to cry.

United Airlines stated it is reviewing the matter and has no further information to share. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union representing the employee said the comments in the video do not reflect its values and the issue will be handled per the collective bargaining agreement. Reports indicate the employee involved has been suspended pending the investigation.

Ultimately, with the help of another United Airlines employee, the Varela family's ticketing issue was resolved, and they boarded their flight successfully.

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