SAN FRANCISCO — A flight attendant found an ICE officer’s gun unattended in a public restroom at San Francisco International Airport last month, NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit has confirmed.
The gun was found in the stall of a men’s bathroom past the security checkpoint in Terminal 2 on the evening of July 21, according to SFO public information officer Doug Yakel.
The flight attendant who found it reported the gun to security staff, who closed the restroom to the public and called 911, Yakel said in an email.
San Francisco police officers responded within minutes and were on scene when the ICE officer later returned to retrieve the lost firearm, Yakel said. It’s still unclear how long the gun was left sitting in the bathroom before it was found.
The airport reported the incident to TSA for potential follow-up action, Yakel added.
It’s unclear what the ICE officer was doing at SFO or whether he has faced any discipline. Yakel said the airport wasn’t privy to the nature of ICE’s presence at the airport that evening, and ICE has not responded to questions sent Wednesday morning by NBC Bay Area.
Ukrainian immigrant Iryna Gorb was arrested by ICE officers at SFO the following day. Video of her arrest was captured and posted online by Richmond City Council member Doria Robinson.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Gorb lawfully entered the U.S. in 2010 but overstayed her visa by more than 15 years.
NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit learned of the ICE officer’s lost gun through a public records request seeking further details on Gorb’s arrest. An internal email contained within a batch of records the airport released this week alluded to an “event where an ICE officer left his gun in the MRR near Checkpoint D in TB2.”
The airport provided additional details Wednesday afternoon in response to questions from NBC Bay Area.
ICE presence at U.S. airports has made headlines across the country in recent weeks, with immigration attorneys reporting an uptick in airport arrests and warning clients about flying.
It’s unclear exactly how many immigrants have been arrested at SFO, but Yakel told NBC Bay Area the airport is aware of three such arrests since March, including the arrest of Gorb.
Yakel said the airport is “not involved in decisions about DHS or ICE operations” and doesn’t “assist in immigration enforcement, consistent with Sanctuary City policies.”
NBC Bay Area obtained CCTV video of another such arrest on March 22 that also led to widespread public outcry after bystanders filmed the incident and posted it on social media.
The third arrest took place on May 1, Yakel said.
