San Francisco Airport Arrest: Undocumented Immigrant Dodges Court and Avoids Deportation

Newly uncovered documents indicate that an individual detained by ICE at San Francisco International Airport had previously missed scheduled immigration appointments after arriving in the United States in 2018.

The apprehension of Angelina Lopez-Jimenez on Sunday led to widespread online speculation about President Trump deploying immigration officers to address the TSA security backlog. According to reports, the Guatemalan national failed to comply with required check-ins the year she arrived in California.

As reported by The New York Times, the TSA informed ICE that Lopez-Jimenez and her 9-year-old daughter had been dodging a final removal order for over seven years.

Back in 2019, an immigration judge ruled that both the mother and daughter were to be deported after they missed a scheduled court appearance. They had initially entered the U.S. unlawfully near San Luis, Arizona, on April 27, 2018, receiving a notice to appear in court upon their release.

While the duo attended some preliminary appointments, they failed to show up for a crucial 2019 hearing, resulting in a final deportation order from the judge, according to the Times.

The mother and daughter had been residing in Contra Costa County and were about to board a flight to Miami on March 22 when TSA identified their names on a passenger list and alerted ICE.

After a confrontation at the San Francisco airport, they were detained and deported to Guatemala on March 24.

“While being escorted to the international terminal for processing, Lopez-Jimenez attempted to flee and resisted law enforcement officers,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.

ICE agents had not deployed at the airport at the time.

The deportation was not unusual, but part of routine immigration enforcement under the Trump administration. It drew widespread attention amid heightened scrutiny of ICE after the President deployed agents to 14 airports across the country during a partial government shutdown.

The move came as TSA workers called out of work in record numbers, causing delays at airport security checkpoints.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters