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"content": "\n\u003cp>After an unannounced visit to San Francisco International Airport’s de facto detention center on Thursday, California Sen. Alex Padilla said it was clear that the airport, like others across the country, has become part of the federal government’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/immigration\">immigration\u003c/a> crackdown.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They’re being pulled into the mass detention and deportation campaign of the president,” Padilla said Friday. “This isn’t meant to be a long-term detention facility. And at times, it has been treated as one.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Padilla is at least the second member of Congress to visit SFO’s “in-transit lounge,” a 3,000 square-foot windowless room in the International Terminal where more than two dozen immigrants have been held for days at a time since the start of the year, according to a \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/sfo-immigration-detention-ice-22405344.php\">investigation\u003c/a> last month. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Federal law permits members of Congress to conduct unannounced oversight visits of detention facilities. In January, Padilla toured California’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12070519/california-senators-visit-immigration-jail-ahead-of-looming-ice-funding-bill-deadline\">largest detention center\u003c/a> in California City, where he described “inhumane” conditions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/PadillaSFO-KQED_2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102566\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/PadillaSFO-KQED_2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/PadillaSFO-KQED_2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/PadillaSFO-KQED_2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Alex Padilla made an unannounced visit to the San Francisco International Airport immigration holding room on Oct. 1, 2026. The Trump administration has ramped up immigration arrests at airports in recent months, including at SFO. (Courtesy of Senator Alex Padilla's Office)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since President Donald Trump took office in 2025, hundreds of people across the U.S. have been arrested while traveling through airports. And, in recent months, media reports have revealed that more are being held in airports for longer than 72 hours, the maximum time U.S. Customs and Border Protection policy generally tries to hold individuals in custody.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After Miami, SFO had the second-highest number of these detentions, which resulted in a transfer to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, according to the \u003cem>Chronicle\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a statement, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said, “Certain travelers may require additional processing based on the circumstances of their case. The length and nature of that processing can vary depending on a number of factors, including necessary records, coordination with other government agencies and transportation or travel logistics.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Padilla said that he learned it’s not uncommon for ICE to bring detained immigrants to SFO and “turn them over” to CBP. The agency then ensures that individuals are put onto departing flights out of the country.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Depending on the country, depending on the airline, those flights run every day, or maybe once or twice a week,” Padilla said. “So I think that plays into how long people are being detained there.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Padilla was granted access to SFO’s lounge after about 15 minutes, he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He described the space, which is lined with couches, some lounge chairs and tables, and restrooms, as neither the best nor the worst conditions he’s seen in similar spaces. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Less than half a dozen” people were detained there Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It wasn’t bursting at the seams, it wasn’t overcrowded as we’ve heard reports [of] in recent months, at least not yesterday,” he told KQED. “But because it’s not in a formal facility, you wonder if all the required supporting amenities are in place.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Individuals held in the airport facility told the \u003cem>Chronicle \u003c/em>in September that they were not given changes of clothes, and slept on upright couches with the lights on. Some said they didn’t have access to dedicated medical care. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Padilla questioned whether people held at the airport had access to bathrooms and showers, or if they were able to call family members or their attorneys when necessary. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Part of what we need to do is to keep the spotlight on, so that the Department [of Homeland Security] and the agencies know Congress is watching and we’ll make sure they’re abiding by the law and policy,” Padilla said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The senator has been a prominent opponent of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement expansion over the last 21 months. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Padilla made headlines in June 2025 when he was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12043957/california-sen-alex-padilla-forced-to-ground-handcuffed-by-agents-at-dhs-briefing\">pushed to the ground and handcuffed\u003c/a> by federal agents while trying to ask then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem a question during a Los Angeles press conference. He told reporters at the time that he had been unable to get a meeting with DHS officials amid the administration’s “increasingly extreme immigration actions.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Padilla pointed out that SFO’s “in-transit lounge” is operated by CBP, not ICE, which he said is primarily responsible for screening travelers for narcotics and contraband, as well as handling individuals who shouldn’t be admitted into the U.S. He said that last year, when some CBP officials were \u003ca href=\"https://immpolicytracking.org/policies/reported-hundreds-of-cbp-agents-to-be-redeployed-to-focus-on-interior-enforcement/\">reassigned\u003c/a> to support ICE’s enforcement efforts within the U.S., their capacity for those functions was decreased. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Padilla said that Congress hasn’t been able to sufficiently investigate federal immigration efforts since the Trump administration took office, but in the upcoming midterm election, “if Democrats regain the majority, you better believe we’re going to be holding hearings to further expose and hold this administration accountable.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/bwatt\">\u003cem>Brian Watt\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Padilla is at least the second member of Congress to visit SFO’s “in-transit lounge,” a 3,000 square-foot windowless room in the International Terminal where more than two dozen immigrants have been held for days at a time since the start of the year, according to a \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/sfo-immigration-detention-ice-22405344.php\">investigation\u003c/a> last month. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Federal law permits members of Congress to conduct unannounced oversight visits of detention facilities. In January, Padilla toured California’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12070519/california-senators-visit-immigration-jail-ahead-of-looming-ice-funding-bill-deadline\">largest detention center\u003c/a> in California City, where he described “inhumane” conditions.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Since President Donald Trump took office in 2025, hundreds of people across the U.S. have been arrested while traveling through airports. And, in recent months, media reports have revealed that more are being held in airports for longer than 72 hours, the maximum time U.S. Customs and Border Protection policy generally tries to hold individuals in custody.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After Miami, SFO had the second-highest number of these detentions, which resulted in a transfer to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, according to the \u003cem>Chronicle\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a statement, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said, “Certain travelers may require additional processing based on the circumstances of their case. The length and nature of that processing can vary depending on a number of factors, including necessary records, coordination with other government agencies and transportation or travel logistics.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Padilla said that he learned it’s not uncommon for ICE to bring detained immigrants to SFO and “turn them over” to CBP. The agency then ensures that individuals are put onto departing flights out of the country.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Depending on the country, depending on the airline, those flights run every day, or maybe once or twice a week,” Padilla said. “So I think that plays into how long people are being detained there.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He described the space, which is lined with couches, some lounge chairs and tables, and restrooms, as neither the best nor the worst conditions he’s seen in similar spaces. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It wasn’t bursting at the seams, it wasn’t overcrowded as we’ve heard reports [of] in recent months, at least not yesterday,” he told KQED. “But because it’s not in a formal facility, you wonder if all the required supporting amenities are in place.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Padilla questioned whether people held at the airport had access to bathrooms and showers, or if they were able to call family members or their attorneys when necessary. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Part of what we need to do is to keep the spotlight on, so that the Department [of Homeland Security] and the agencies know Congress is watching and we’ll make sure they’re abiding by the law and policy,” Padilla said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Padilla made headlines in June 2025 when he was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12043957/california-sen-alex-padilla-forced-to-ground-handcuffed-by-agents-at-dhs-briefing\">pushed to the ground and handcuffed\u003c/a> by federal agents while trying to ask then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem a question during a Los Angeles press conference. He told reporters at the time that he had been unable to get a meeting with DHS officials amid the administration’s “increasingly extreme immigration actions.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Padilla pointed out that SFO’s “in-transit lounge” is operated by CBP, not ICE, which he said is primarily responsible for screening travelers for narcotics and contraband, as well as handling individuals who shouldn’t be admitted into the U.S. He said that last year, when some CBP officials were \u003ca href=\"https://immpolicytracking.org/policies/reported-hundreds-of-cbp-agents-to-be-redeployed-to-focus-on-interior-enforcement/\">reassigned\u003c/a> to support ICE’s enforcement efforts within the U.S., their capacity for those functions was decreased. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Padilla said that Congress hasn’t been able to sufficiently investigate federal immigration efforts since the Trump administration took office, but in the upcoming midterm election, “if Democrats regain the majority, you better believe we’re going to be holding hearings to further expose and hold this administration accountable.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>After an unannounced visit to San Francisco International Airport’s de facto detention center on Thursday, California Sen. Alex Padilla said it was clear that the airport, like others across the country, has become part of the federal government’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/immigration\">immigration\u003c/a> crackdown.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They’re being pulled into the mass detention and deportation campaign of the president,” Padilla said Friday. “This isn’t meant to be a long-term detention facility. And at times, it has been treated as one.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Padilla is at least the second member of Congress to visit SFO’s “in-transit lounge,” a 3,000 square-foot windowless room in the International Terminal where more than two dozen immigrants have been held for days at a time since the start of the year, according to a \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/sfo-immigration-detention-ice-22405344.php\">investigation\u003c/a> last month. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Federal law permits members of Congress to conduct unannounced oversight visits of detention facilities. In January, Padilla toured California’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12070519/california-senators-visit-immigration-jail-ahead-of-looming-ice-funding-bill-deadline\">largest detention center\u003c/a> in California City, where he described “inhumane” conditions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/PadillaSFO-KQED_2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102566\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/PadillaSFO-KQED_2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/PadillaSFO-KQED_2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/PadillaSFO-KQED_2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Alex Padilla made an unannounced visit to the San Francisco International Airport immigration holding room on Oct. 1, 2026. The Trump administration has ramped up immigration arrests at airports in recent months, including at SFO. (Courtesy of Senator Alex Padilla's Office)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since President Donald Trump took office in 2025, hundreds of people across the U.S. have been arrested while traveling through airports. And, in recent months, media reports have revealed that more are being held in airports for longer than 72 hours, the maximum time U.S. Customs and Border Protection policy generally tries to hold individuals in custody.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After Miami, SFO had the second-highest number of these detentions, which resulted in a transfer to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, according to the \u003cem>Chronicle\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a statement, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said, “Certain travelers may require additional processing based on the circumstances of their case. The length and nature of that processing can vary depending on a number of factors, including necessary records, coordination with other government agencies and transportation or travel logistics.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Padilla said that he learned it’s not uncommon for ICE to bring detained immigrants to SFO and “turn them over” to CBP. The agency then ensures that individuals are put onto departing flights out of the country.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Depending on the country, depending on the airline, those flights run every day, or maybe once or twice a week,” Padilla said. “So I think that plays into how long people are being detained there.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Padilla was granted access to SFO’s lounge after about 15 minutes, he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He described the space, which is lined with couches, some lounge chairs and tables, and restrooms, as neither the best nor the worst conditions he’s seen in similar spaces. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Less than half a dozen” people were detained there Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It wasn’t bursting at the seams, it wasn’t overcrowded as we’ve heard reports [of] in recent months, at least not yesterday,” he told KQED. “But because it’s not in a formal facility, you wonder if all the required supporting amenities are in place.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Individuals held in the airport facility told the \u003cem>Chronicle \u003c/em>in September that they were not given changes of clothes, and slept on upright couches with the lights on. Some said they didn’t have access to dedicated medical care. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Padilla questioned whether people held at the airport had access to bathrooms and showers, or if they were able to call family members or their attorneys when necessary. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Part of what we need to do is to keep the spotlight on, so that the Department [of Homeland Security] and the agencies know Congress is watching and we’ll make sure they’re abiding by the law and policy,” Padilla said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The senator has been a prominent opponent of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement expansion over the last 21 months. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Padilla made headlines in June 2025 when he was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12043957/california-sen-alex-padilla-forced-to-ground-handcuffed-by-agents-at-dhs-briefing\">pushed to the ground and handcuffed\u003c/a> by federal agents while trying to ask then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem a question during a Los Angeles press conference. He told reporters at the time that he had been unable to get a meeting with DHS officials amid the administration’s “increasingly extreme immigration actions.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Padilla pointed out that SFO’s “in-transit lounge” is operated by CBP, not ICE, which he said is primarily responsible for screening travelers for narcotics and contraband, as well as handling individuals who shouldn’t be admitted into the U.S. He said that last year, when some CBP officials were \u003ca href=\"https://immpolicytracking.org/policies/reported-hundreds-of-cbp-agents-to-be-redeployed-to-focus-on-interior-enforcement/\">reassigned\u003c/a> to support ICE’s enforcement efforts within the U.S., their capacity for those functions was decreased. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Padilla said that Congress hasn’t been able to sufficiently investigate federal immigration efforts since the Trump administration took office, but in the upcoming midterm election, “if Democrats regain the majority, you better believe we’re going to be holding hearings to further expose and hold this administration accountable.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/bwatt\">\u003cem>Brian Watt\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "how-the-trump-administration-is-using-sfo-as-a-de-facto-detention-center",
"title": "How the Trump Administration Is Using SFO as a ‘De Facto Detention Center’",
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"headTitle": "How the Trump Administration Is Using SFO as a ‘De Facto Detention Center’ | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>The Trump administration has ramped up immigration arrests at airports in recent months, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/iryna-gorb-sfo-arrest-released-22436690.php\">including at San Francisco International Airport\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to reporting by the San Francisco Chronicle, Customs and Border Protection has also been holding immigrants at SFO – in some cases, for more than a week. Reporter Sara DiNatale joins us to explain how the airport has become a de facto detention center.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Links:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/sfo-immigration-detention-ice-22405344.php\">Under Trump, SFO is now a de facto immigration detention center (San Francisco Chronicle)\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Episode transcript\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This transcript is computer-generated. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to The Bay, local news to keep you rooted. Earlier this summer, plain clothes immigration officers were seen at San Francisco International Airport, pinning down a woman as she cried for help. Concerned travelers hovered nearby, recording the incident.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Iryna Gorb: \u003c/strong>No, they’re fucking ICE! I’m from Ukraine!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>The woman would be later identified as 38-year-old Iryna Gorb, a Ukrainian photographer and barista who’s been living and working in the U.S. for the last 16 years. Here’s her friend, Andy Eblin, speaking to KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Andy Eblin: \u003c/strong>There’s a reason that she’s got a lot of support, she is a good person that helped out a lot. That’s just kinda how she was.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Gorb was detained by ICE for seven weeks. And it’s not just people being arrested by ICE at airports. According to reporting from the San Francisco Chronicle, SFO is also being used as a de facto detention center by Customs and Border Protection.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>The impression that a lot of immigration attorneys have and folks who have been in the detention centers recently have told me like, yeah, a lot of people I’m in here with are people who were picked up at the airport.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Today, we talk with the San Francisco Chronicle’s Sara DiNatale about how airports have become the new frontier in Trump’s immigration crackdown.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>It’s not like this is happening constantly, but it is still happening more because it used to never happen. Historically ICE agents have not entered airports, domestic terminals, picking up people for visa overstays, especially people with visa overstay that have no criminal history. So we have seen this happen at our airport in San Francisco, it picked up over the summer and around that same time that we were noticing it locally, the New York Times tracked that it was happening regularly or at least semi-regularly at 15 major airports across the country.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And I mean, this is not something that we’ve seen before, like these kinds of immigration enforcement actions happening at airports. I mean is this part of a broader strategy by the Trump administration to target immigrants at airports specifically?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>So it’s not like the Trump administration or ICE has come out directly and said, like, this is our strategical avenue we’re taking, but the impression that a lot of immigration attorneys have and folks who have been in the detention centers recently have told me, like, yeah, a lot people I’m in here with are people who were picked up at the airport. The reason we think that is likely what’s happening is because we do know that there are current court orders that are preventing ICE from targeting court houses, which is the main enforcement efforts we saw last year. So the thought among immigration attorneys and other experts in immigration is that the shift to focusing on airports is a response to the fact that it is not as easy anymore to get people when they’re doing court hearings or check-ins with ICE because of these court orders. Trump has still made it clear that he has, you know, these large deportation goals. And so that is why people think airports have become a shift in that strategy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Can you kind of describe some of the kinds of immigration actions that are happening at airports like SFO?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>Yeah, the videos we’ve seen all follow a very similar formula. You typically see plain, closed ICE agents. It’s not particularly obvious that they’re federal immigration enforcement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Iryna Gorb: \u003c/strong>I need more! No!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>They are coming to the airport with some kind of list or understanding of exactly who they’re targeting. TSA is likely sharing information. So they’re intersecting them either right when they’re getting off a flight or waiting to get on a flight.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So we’re seeing these videos of people getting arrested at airports, but also your reporting has shown that people are actually being detained and held at San Francisco International Airport by Customs and Border Protection sometimes for days. Can you tell us a little bit more about what your reporting found?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>Yeah, and there’s an important distinction here. Both practices are both part of Trump’s broader deportation crackdown, but the methods and framework that are being used are a little different. So when we’re talking about the people who are in domestic terminals that ICE agents are arresting in, those people are not the same people that we found being held in the airport. The people being held at the airport are flying internationally. Because when you’re flying internationally, you are essentially at the border asking for entry. And what we found and what our reporting found is that the people held at the airport are having this longer in-between step. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> So what exactly has changed? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale:\u003c/strong> Traditionally, if you had been flying internationally you have a work permit visa or a green card and something about your background check pops in the Customs and Border Protection system. If it wasn’t like an active warrant, typically they would say, hey, something weird popped up on your your background check, we need to set up a follow up appointment to go through this, you would get like a temporary release. So you’re allowed to leave the airport and you know, you have to come back and check with the customs officers. Sometimes you would be able to bring your immigration attorney. And they’re basically holding your green card or your work permit as collateral. So like people always came back for these appointments. It wasn’t like people were running off. But now the follow-up appointment, which is called deferred inspection, is essentially dead. And so instead of a follow-up appointment, they’re just holding them at the airport until they can decide what to do with them. And typically the end decision, which sometimes can take up to a week or more, is to transfer them to ICE detention with an order to go before an immigration judge to decide whether or not they’re admissible into the country.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>You’re saying some of these folks are being held at the airport for up to a week, potentially?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>Yes. So typically what happens because these are often really old arrests. And in a lot of cases, they are expunged from their state record. So they’re flying, not realizing that the federal system being used for the background check will still pull up a state expunges arrest. And then the agents are saying, Okay, well, we need to request your original court records. And until we have those court records to decide if you should be admitted or not. You just have to hold tight and the time that they’re waiting to get those records can span. If it is a Friday, the court is not going to send the certified records over the weekend. I’ve also had immigration attorneys tell me like, I have certified court records for the, like for this individual and I’m happy to bring them. And the agent said, no, we need them directly from either the arresting police agency or the court. Even if that was the case in the before times, it didn’t automatically mean you needed to be detained while you were awaiting that hearing. But now under Trump’s current executive orders, he’s made it very clear if there is a question about your admissibility and questions about your criminal history, you absolutely need to remain detained. They still have in there, it’s still linked on their website, you can read it, that people should not be held for more than 72 hours. And when we looked at the federal data which encompassed all the airports, we found that Customs and Border Protection has detained more than 400 people at international airports for longer than 72-hours since January and through July. And then of that 400 people, 146 were people who had valid green cards, so they were lawful permanent residents.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And where exactly in the airport are they being held?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale:\u003c/strong> It’s between A and G and like the part that connects both terminals that you like walk between. It’s all behind like the area you can’t get to unless like a customs agent is like walking with you. So this particular room is like kind of deep into the innards of the airport. There’s no windows. I have not been inside of it. They will not let me in. But it’s been described to me as just like a very, it looks like a basic like waiting room. Not somewhere you wanna sleep for days. There’s no beds. If you’ve ever been through customs and you get pulled for a secondary interview, you’re not allowed to have your phone. And that is the same with when you’re in being held in one of these rooms. You don’t have a phone or anything. So at SFO we know of 25 people who were held there for more than 72 hours from January through July and then 19 of those 25 people were transferred to ICE custody.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>We’ll have more with The Chronicle’s Sara DiNatale right after this. By the way, if you appreciate the local deep dives that we bring you on the bay, consider supporting our work by becoming a sustaining member of KQED. We can’t do this work without you. Just go to donate.kqed.org/podcasts. We’ll be right back. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> And like you said, this detainment area is really out of sight, and we haven’t known a lot about what is actually happening there, but you actually talked with a 67-year-old man who was held there. Tell me about him and his story?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>During this reporting process, I met a 67 year old man who was held at SFO for eight days starting in March. He agreed to talk to us without publishing his name because he doesn’t want any more attention to be put on his legal status. He is a green card holder. He has been a lawful permanent resident here for decades and he’s lived here legally for about 50 years. So he lives in Fresno. He was flying back from a trip to Mexico. And when he lands in Fresno, he is sitting on the plane and federal agents board and call his name. And they take him into custody right then and there. They cuffed his wrists and his feet, and they put him into a van, and they drove him to SFO. He was very confused about like what he was being arrested for on his way there actually in the van. He’s already starting to panic, especially because of his medical conditions. So he has diabetes and it was the end of his trip. So he didn’t have any more insulin on him because he was expecting to go home. Customs agents put him in this room. He is allowed one phone call to contact his son specifically just to ask for his medications. His son has to drive then from Fresno to SFO to deliver the medications. He also has no way to test his blood sugar. And it isn’t until a paramedic from the airport comes in to check him. That it becomes clear that he is having an episode. His blood sugar is way out of a normal range, he clearly needs insulin, and they do give him his insulin from his son finally, and he’s able to use it. He’s there for eight days. So through that eight days, he only had his blood sugar checked one time.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>How did he describe the conditions inside SFO while he was being detained?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>He described the whole experience as psychological torture. You know, he didn’t have a change of clothes. So they do take him to, they escort him to a shower every three days, but then he’s changing back into his dirty clothes after. You know he doesn’t have bed. So he’s described sleeping upright for the entire time. And you know, he was only snatching a couple hours of sleep in between, you know like it’s difficult to sleep upright. And in addition, the lights were always on. The diabetes wasn’t the only medical issue he had. He had some other medications he was required to take, and I didn’t even mention he’s also mostly blind. He doesn’t describe there being a formal medical screening, which is something you would expect and is required of any holding facility.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>What do we know about why he was detained by Customs and Border Protection?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>Yeah, so he wasn’t given a lot of clarity while it was happening to him. But he had an old 20 year old like run in with law enforcement that they essentially were looking into. I had one attorney I spoke with about just like this process describing it like a fishing expedition, like they are looking for something that they can argue makes you inadmissible.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So he was held at SFO for eight days, you said Sara. Where is he now?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>So, after his eight days, he was transferred to California City, which is the state’s largest detention center. Once he gets to California City, it takes a minute for him to be able to get connected with legal representation, but he eventually does. And they’re able to sort of untangle this old arrest and, you know, go before the court, make sure it’s clear that it’s a misdemeanor charge. And after five months, he does eventually get out. So he’s out, he has his green card still intact, and he’s just kind of recovering from this whole experience, which of course was very traumatic.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I mean, Sara, you’re describing, I mean in his words, psychological torture, people being held for days without really understanding why, not having access to legal representation. I mean is this legal? I mean can Customs and Border Protection just do this at airports here in the United States?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>So when someone is coming, re-entering the country, court history and case law history, time and time again says the government has its peak authority at that moment, because it is a matter of national security. And that gives them a lot of latitude to do these things within a legal framework. That’s not to say that like everything they’re doing is legal and won’t face legal challenges. We have seen attorneys challenge these spaces and, you know, saying, hey, you need to at least make sure they meet, like, the minimum requirement for what makes a facility safe.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And is Customs and Border Protection still keeping people in conditions like this within SFO?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>So since the 67-year-old’s detainment, Customs and Border Protections has started using a different room to house people and that room has padded benches where people can actually lay down. So that’s an improvement, at least slightly in the conditions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And what does the airport say? Like, do they have any jurisdiction over how customs operate?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>The airport itself has no control over what customs does with its space. So SFO cannot tell customs, hey, we don’t like this and you need to stop. Like because the airport is a border, customs has to have a space to operate and the airport has to provide that space. And once they hand over that space to them, they really can’t control what they do in it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And how has the Trump administration responded to this story?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>They did not respond to a long list of questions I sent them. I asked customs directly like, hey, I see in your guidelines that you have the 72-hour hold policy. Is that no longer a policy? And that was one of the specific questions they did not answer. I reached out to Congressman Kevin Mullin. He wound up using his congressional authority to demand inspection of the facility. Congressman Mullin was able to ask them some direct questions during his visit. According to him, they told him like, yes, this is a distinct policy shift under Trump. We would have given these people follow-up appointments before and now we keep them here. You know, they said sometimes because of waiting on court records and weekends. Uh, sometimes people are here longer than three days.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I mean, it seems just like it’s safe to say that airports have sort of become this new frontier in Trump’s immigration crackdown, I’m curious what immigrant attorneys and advocates are advising people to do?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>Yeah, I mean, there’s definitely the advice out there to just not travel, and I understand why people are heeding that advice. I would say if you are someone with a green card or another visa, you need to be really aware of exactly what your status is. So if you’re a green-card holder who has had a past brushing with law enforcement, you need to really sure that if you think your charges are vacated that they actually are before you travel internationally. And then for those who have visa overstays, the risk is that you will be targeted even if you don’t have any criminal history.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, Sara, thank you so much for sharing your reporting with us. I appreciate it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale:\u003c/strong> Thank you so much for having me. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> That was Sara DiNatale, a politics reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle. We’ll leave you a link to Sara’s reporting on this in our show notes. Thanks as well to KQED’s Katie DeBenedetti for some of the tape that you heard at the top of this episode. This episode was cut down and edited by producer Gabriela Glueck. It was produced and scored by me. Our senior editor is Alan Montecillo, music courtesy of AudioNetwork. If you wanna reach us here at The Bay, feel free to send us an email. We’re at thebayatkqed.org. Support for The Bay is provided in part by the Osher Production Fund. Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by the Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco, Northern California Local. And I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thanks so much for listening to The Bay. Talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to The Bay, local news to keep you rooted. Earlier this summer, plain clothes immigration officers were seen at San Francisco International Airport, pinning down a woman as she cried for help. Concerned travelers hovered nearby, recording the incident.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to The Bay, local news to keep you rooted. Earlier this summer, plain clothes immigration officers were seen at San Francisco International Airport, pinning down a woman as she cried for help. Concerned travelers hovered nearby, recording the incident.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Iryna Gorb: \u003c/strong>No, they’re fucking ICE! I’m from Ukraine!\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Iryna Gorb: \u003c/strong>No, they’re fucking ICE! I’m from Ukraine!\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>The woman would be later identified as 38-year-old Iryna Gorb, a Ukrainian photographer and barista who’s been living and working in the U.S. for the last 16 years. Here’s her friend, Andy Eblin, speaking to KQED.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>The woman would be later identified as 38-year-old Iryna Gorb, a Ukrainian photographer and barista who’s been living and working in the U.S. for the last 16 years. Here’s her friend, Andy Eblin, speaking to KQED.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Andy Eblin: \u003c/strong>There’s a reason that she’s got a lot of support, she is a good person that helped out a lot. That’s just kinda how she was.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Andy Eblin: \u003c/strong>There’s a reason that she’s got a lot of support, she is a good person that helped out a lot. That’s just kinda how she was.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Gorb was detained by ICE for seven weeks. And it’s not just people being arrested by ICE at airports. According to reporting from the San Francisco Chronicle, SFO is also being used as a de facto detention center by Customs and Border Protection.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Gorb was detained by ICE for seven weeks. And it’s not just people being arrested by ICE at airports. According to reporting from the San Francisco Chronicle, SFO is also being used as a de facto detention center by Customs and Border Protection.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>The impression that a lot of immigration attorneys have and folks who have been in the detention centers recently have told me like, yeah, a lot of people I’m in here with are people who were picked up at the airport.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>The impression that a lot of immigration attorneys have and folks who have been in the detention centers recently have told me like, yeah, a lot of people I’m in here with are people who were picked up at the airport.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Today, we talk with the San Francisco Chronicle’s Sara DiNatale about how airports have become the new frontier in Trump’s immigration crackdown.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Today, we talk with the San Francisco Chronicle’s Sara DiNatale about how airports have become the new frontier in Trump’s immigration crackdown.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>It’s not like this is happening constantly, but it is still happening more because it used to never happen. Historically ICE agents have not entered airports, domestic terminals, picking up people for visa overstays, especially people with visa overstay that have no criminal history. So we have seen this happen at our airport in San Francisco, it picked up over the summer and around that same time that we were noticing it locally, the New York Times tracked that it was happening regularly or at least semi-regularly at 15 major airports across the country.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>It’s not like this is happening constantly, but it is still happening more because it used to never happen. Historically ICE agents have not entered airports, domestic terminals, picking up people for visa overstays, especially people with visa overstay that have no criminal history. So we have seen this happen at our airport in San Francisco, it picked up over the summer and around that same time that we were noticing it locally, the New York Times tracked that it was happening regularly or at least semi-regularly at 15 major airports across the country.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And I mean, this is not something that we’ve seen before, like these kinds of immigration enforcement actions happening at airports. I mean is this part of a broader strategy by the Trump administration to target immigrants at airports specifically?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And I mean, this is not something that we’ve seen before, like these kinds of immigration enforcement actions happening at airports. I mean is this part of a broader strategy by the Trump administration to target immigrants at airports specifically?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>So it’s not like the Trump administration or ICE has come out directly and said, like, this is our strategical avenue we’re taking, but the impression that a lot of immigration attorneys have and folks who have been in the detention centers recently have told me, like, yeah, a lot people I’m in here with are people who were picked up at the airport. The reason we think that is likely what’s happening is because we do know that there are current court orders that are preventing ICE from targeting court houses, which is the main enforcement efforts we saw last year. So the thought among immigration attorneys and other experts in immigration is that the shift to focusing on airports is a response to the fact that it is not as easy anymore to get people when they’re doing court hearings or check-ins with ICE because of these court orders. Trump has still made it clear that he has, you know, these large deportation goals. And so that is why people think airports have become a shift in that strategy.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>So it’s not like the Trump administration or ICE has come out directly and said, like, this is our strategical avenue we’re taking, but the impression that a lot of immigration attorneys have and folks who have been in the detention centers recently have told me, like, yeah, a lot people I’m in here with are people who were picked up at the airport. The reason we think that is likely what’s happening is because we do know that there are current court orders that are preventing ICE from targeting court houses, which is the main enforcement efforts we saw last year. So the thought among immigration attorneys and other experts in immigration is that the shift to focusing on airports is a response to the fact that it is not as easy anymore to get people when they’re doing court hearings or check-ins with ICE because of these court orders. Trump has still made it clear that he has, you know, these large deportation goals. And so that is why people think airports have become a shift in that strategy.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Can you kind of describe some of the kinds of immigration actions that are happening at airports like SFO?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Can you kind of describe some of the kinds of immigration actions that are happening at airports like SFO?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>Yeah, the videos we’ve seen all follow a very similar formula. You typically see plain, closed ICE agents. It’s not particularly obvious that they’re federal immigration enforcement.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Iryna Gorb: \u003c/strong>I need more! No!\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>They are coming to the airport with some kind of list or understanding of exactly who they’re targeting. TSA is likely sharing information. So they’re intersecting them either right when they’re getting off a flight or waiting to get on a flight.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>They are coming to the airport with some kind of list or understanding of exactly who they’re targeting. TSA is likely sharing information. So they’re intersecting them either right when they’re getting off a flight or waiting to get on a flight.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So we’re seeing these videos of people getting arrested at airports, but also your reporting has shown that people are actually being detained and held at San Francisco International Airport by Customs and Border Protection sometimes for days. Can you tell us a little bit more about what your reporting found?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So we’re seeing these videos of people getting arrested at airports, but also your reporting has shown that people are actually being detained and held at San Francisco International Airport by Customs and Border Protection sometimes for days. Can you tell us a little bit more about what your reporting found?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>Yeah, and there’s an important distinction here. Both practices are both part of Trump’s broader deportation crackdown, but the methods and framework that are being used are a little different. So when we’re talking about the people who are in domestic terminals that ICE agents are arresting in, those people are not the same people that we found being held in the airport. The people being held at the airport are flying internationally. Because when you’re flying internationally, you are essentially at the border asking for entry. And what we found and what our reporting found is that the people held at the airport are having this longer in-between step. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>Yeah, and there’s an important distinction here. Both practices are both part of Trump’s broader deportation crackdown, but the methods and framework that are being used are a little different. So when we’re talking about the people who are in domestic terminals that ICE agents are arresting in, those people are not the same people that we found being held in the airport. The people being held at the airport are flying internationally. Because when you’re flying internationally, you are essentially at the border asking for entry. And what we found and what our reporting found is that the people held at the airport are having this longer in-between step. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> So what exactly has changed? \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale:\u003c/strong> Traditionally, if you had been flying internationally you have a work permit visa or a green card and something about your background check pops in the Customs and Border Protection system. If it wasn’t like an active warrant, typically they would say, hey, something weird popped up on your your background check, we need to set up a follow up appointment to go through this, you would get like a temporary release. So you’re allowed to leave the airport and you know, you have to come back and check with the customs officers. Sometimes you would be able to bring your immigration attorney. And they’re basically holding your green card or your work permit as collateral. So like people always came back for these appointments. It wasn’t like people were running off. But now the follow-up appointment, which is called deferred inspection, is essentially dead. And so instead of a follow-up appointment, they’re just holding them at the airport until they can decide what to do with them. And typically the end decision, which sometimes can take up to a week or more, is to transfer them to ICE detention with an order to go before an immigration judge to decide whether or not they’re admissible into the country.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale:\u003c/strong> Traditionally, if you had been flying internationally you have a work permit visa or a green card and something about your background check pops in the Customs and Border Protection system. If it wasn’t like an active warrant, typically they would say, hey, something weird popped up on your your background check, we need to set up a follow up appointment to go through this, you would get like a temporary release. So you’re allowed to leave the airport and you know, you have to come back and check with the customs officers. Sometimes you would be able to bring your immigration attorney. And they’re basically holding your green card or your work permit as collateral. So like people always came back for these appointments. It wasn’t like people were running off. But now the follow-up appointment, which is called deferred inspection, is essentially dead. And so instead of a follow-up appointment, they’re just holding them at the airport until they can decide what to do with them. And typically the end decision, which sometimes can take up to a week or more, is to transfer them to ICE detention with an order to go before an immigration judge to decide whether or not they’re admissible into the country.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>You’re saying some of these folks are being held at the airport for up to a week, potentially?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>You’re saying some of these folks are being held at the airport for up to a week, potentially?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>Yes. So typically what happens because these are often really old arrests. And in a lot of cases, they are expunged from their state record. So they’re flying, not realizing that the federal system being used for the background check will still pull up a state expunges arrest. And then the agents are saying, Okay, well, we need to request your original court records. And until we have those court records to decide if you should be admitted or not. You just have to hold tight and the time that they’re waiting to get those records can span. If it is a Friday, the court is not going to send the certified records over the weekend. I’ve also had immigration attorneys tell me like, I have certified court records for the, like for this individual and I’m happy to bring them. And the agent said, no, we need them directly from either the arresting police agency or the court. Even if that was the case in the before times, it didn’t automatically mean you needed to be detained while you were awaiting that hearing. But now under Trump’s current executive orders, he’s made it very clear if there is a question about your admissibility and questions about your criminal history, you absolutely need to remain detained. They still have in there, it’s still linked on their website, you can read it, that people should not be held for more than 72 hours. And when we looked at the federal data which encompassed all the airports, we found that Customs and Border Protection has detained more than 400 people at international airports for longer than 72-hours since January and through July. And then of that 400 people, 146 were people who had valid green cards, so they were lawful permanent residents.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>Yes. So typically what happens because these are often really old arrests. And in a lot of cases, they are expunged from their state record. So they’re flying, not realizing that the federal system being used for the background check will still pull up a state expunges arrest. And then the agents are saying, Okay, well, we need to request your original court records. And until we have those court records to decide if you should be admitted or not. You just have to hold tight and the time that they’re waiting to get those records can span. If it is a Friday, the court is not going to send the certified records over the weekend. I’ve also had immigration attorneys tell me like, I have certified court records for the, like for this individual and I’m happy to bring them. And the agent said, no, we need them directly from either the arresting police agency or the court. Even if that was the case in the before times, it didn’t automatically mean you needed to be detained while you were awaiting that hearing. But now under Trump’s current executive orders, he’s made it very clear if there is a question about your admissibility and questions about your criminal history, you absolutely need to remain detained. They still have in there, it’s still linked on their website, you can read it, that people should not be held for more than 72 hours. And when we looked at the federal data which encompassed all the airports, we found that Customs and Border Protection has detained more than 400 people at international airports for longer than 72-hours since January and through July. And then of that 400 people, 146 were people who had valid green cards, so they were lawful permanent residents.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And where exactly in the airport are they being held?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And where exactly in the airport are they being held?\u003c/p>\n"
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale:\u003c/strong> It’s between A and G and like the part that connects both terminals that you like walk between. It’s all behind like the area you can’t get to unless like a customs agent is like walking with you. So this particular room is like kind of deep into the innards of the airport. There’s no windows. I have not been inside of it. They will not let me in. But it’s been described to me as just like a very, it looks like a basic like waiting room. Not somewhere you wanna sleep for days. There’s no beds. If you’ve ever been through customs and you get pulled for a secondary interview, you’re not allowed to have your phone. And that is the same with when you’re in being held in one of these rooms. You don’t have a phone or anything. So at SFO we know of 25 people who were held there for more than 72 hours from January through July and then 19 of those 25 people were transferred to ICE custody.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>We’ll have more with The Chronicle’s Sara DiNatale right after this. By the way, if you appreciate the local deep dives that we bring you on the bay, consider supporting our work by becoming a sustaining member of KQED. We can’t do this work without you. Just go to donate.kqed.org/podcasts. We’ll be right back. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> And like you said, this detainment area is really out of sight, and we haven’t known a lot about what is actually happening there, but you actually talked with a 67-year-old man who was held there. Tell me about him and his story?\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>During this reporting process, I met a 67 year old man who was held at SFO for eight days starting in March. He agreed to talk to us without publishing his name because he doesn’t want any more attention to be put on his legal status. He is a green card holder. He has been a lawful permanent resident here for decades and he’s lived here legally for about 50 years. So he lives in Fresno. He was flying back from a trip to Mexico. And when he lands in Fresno, he is sitting on the plane and federal agents board and call his name. And they take him into custody right then and there. They cuffed his wrists and his feet, and they put him into a van, and they drove him to SFO. He was very confused about like what he was being arrested for on his way there actually in the van. He’s already starting to panic, especially because of his medical conditions. So he has diabetes and it was the end of his trip. So he didn’t have any more insulin on him because he was expecting to go home. Customs agents put him in this room. He is allowed one phone call to contact his son specifically just to ask for his medications. His son has to drive then from Fresno to SFO to deliver the medications. He also has no way to test his blood sugar. And it isn’t until a paramedic from the airport comes in to check him. That it becomes clear that he is having an episode. His blood sugar is way out of a normal range, he clearly needs insulin, and they do give him his insulin from his son finally, and he’s able to use it. He’s there for eight days. So through that eight days, he only had his blood sugar checked one time.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>During this reporting process, I met a 67 year old man who was held at SFO for eight days starting in March. He agreed to talk to us without publishing his name because he doesn’t want any more attention to be put on his legal status. He is a green card holder. He has been a lawful permanent resident here for decades and he’s lived here legally for about 50 years. So he lives in Fresno. He was flying back from a trip to Mexico. And when he lands in Fresno, he is sitting on the plane and federal agents board and call his name. And they take him into custody right then and there. They cuffed his wrists and his feet, and they put him into a van, and they drove him to SFO. He was very confused about like what he was being arrested for on his way there actually in the van. He’s already starting to panic, especially because of his medical conditions. So he has diabetes and it was the end of his trip. So he didn’t have any more insulin on him because he was expecting to go home. Customs agents put him in this room. He is allowed one phone call to contact his son specifically just to ask for his medications. His son has to drive then from Fresno to SFO to deliver the medications. He also has no way to test his blood sugar. And it isn’t until a paramedic from the airport comes in to check him. That it becomes clear that he is having an episode. His blood sugar is way out of a normal range, he clearly needs insulin, and they do give him his insulin from his son finally, and he’s able to use it. He’s there for eight days. So through that eight days, he only had his blood sugar checked one time.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>How did he describe the conditions inside SFO while he was being detained?\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>He described the whole experience as psychological torture. You know, he didn’t have a change of clothes. So they do take him to, they escort him to a shower every three days, but then he’s changing back into his dirty clothes after. You know he doesn’t have bed. So he’s described sleeping upright for the entire time. And you know, he was only snatching a couple hours of sleep in between, you know like it’s difficult to sleep upright. And in addition, the lights were always on. The diabetes wasn’t the only medical issue he had. He had some other medications he was required to take, and I didn’t even mention he’s also mostly blind. He doesn’t describe there being a formal medical screening, which is something you would expect and is required of any holding facility.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>He described the whole experience as psychological torture. You know, he didn’t have a change of clothes. So they do take him to, they escort him to a shower every three days, but then he’s changing back into his dirty clothes after. You know he doesn’t have bed. So he’s described sleeping upright for the entire time. And you know, he was only snatching a couple hours of sleep in between, you know like it’s difficult to sleep upright. And in addition, the lights were always on. The diabetes wasn’t the only medical issue he had. He had some other medications he was required to take, and I didn’t even mention he’s also mostly blind. He doesn’t describe there being a formal medical screening, which is something you would expect and is required of any holding facility.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>What do we know about why he was detained by Customs and Border Protection?\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>Yeah, so he wasn’t given a lot of clarity while it was happening to him. But he had an old 20 year old like run in with law enforcement that they essentially were looking into. I had one attorney I spoke with about just like this process describing it like a fishing expedition, like they are looking for something that they can argue makes you inadmissible.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So he was held at SFO for eight days, you said Sara. Where is he now?\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>So, after his eight days, he was transferred to California City, which is the state’s largest detention center. Once he gets to California City, it takes a minute for him to be able to get connected with legal representation, but he eventually does. And they’re able to sort of untangle this old arrest and, you know, go before the court, make sure it’s clear that it’s a misdemeanor charge. And after five months, he does eventually get out. So he’s out, he has his green card still intact, and he’s just kind of recovering from this whole experience, which of course was very traumatic.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>So, after his eight days, he was transferred to California City, which is the state’s largest detention center. Once he gets to California City, it takes a minute for him to be able to get connected with legal representation, but he eventually does. And they’re able to sort of untangle this old arrest and, you know, go before the court, make sure it’s clear that it’s a misdemeanor charge. And after five months, he does eventually get out. So he’s out, he has his green card still intact, and he’s just kind of recovering from this whole experience, which of course was very traumatic.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I mean, Sara, you’re describing, I mean in his words, psychological torture, people being held for days without really understanding why, not having access to legal representation. I mean is this legal? I mean can Customs and Border Protection just do this at airports here in the United States?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I mean, Sara, you’re describing, I mean in his words, psychological torture, people being held for days without really understanding why, not having access to legal representation. I mean is this legal? I mean can Customs and Border Protection just do this at airports here in the United States?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>So when someone is coming, re-entering the country, court history and case law history, time and time again says the government has its peak authority at that moment, because it is a matter of national security. And that gives them a lot of latitude to do these things within a legal framework. That’s not to say that like everything they’re doing is legal and won’t face legal challenges. We have seen attorneys challenge these spaces and, you know, saying, hey, you need to at least make sure they meet, like, the minimum requirement for what makes a facility safe.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>So when someone is coming, re-entering the country, court history and case law history, time and time again says the government has its peak authority at that moment, because it is a matter of national security. And that gives them a lot of latitude to do these things within a legal framework. That’s not to say that like everything they’re doing is legal and won’t face legal challenges. We have seen attorneys challenge these spaces and, you know, saying, hey, you need to at least make sure they meet, like, the minimum requirement for what makes a facility safe.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And is Customs and Border Protection still keeping people in conditions like this within SFO?\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>So since the 67-year-old’s detainment, Customs and Border Protections has started using a different room to house people and that room has padded benches where people can actually lay down. So that’s an improvement, at least slightly in the conditions.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>So since the 67-year-old’s detainment, Customs and Border Protections has started using a different room to house people and that room has padded benches where people can actually lay down. So that’s an improvement, at least slightly in the conditions.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And what does the airport say? Like, do they have any jurisdiction over how customs operate?\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>The airport itself has no control over what customs does with its space. So SFO cannot tell customs, hey, we don’t like this and you need to stop. Like because the airport is a border, customs has to have a space to operate and the airport has to provide that space. And once they hand over that space to them, they really can’t control what they do in it.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>The airport itself has no control over what customs does with its space. So SFO cannot tell customs, hey, we don’t like this and you need to stop. Like because the airport is a border, customs has to have a space to operate and the airport has to provide that space. And once they hand over that space to them, they really can’t control what they do in it.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And how has the Trump administration responded to this story?\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>They did not respond to a long list of questions I sent them. I asked customs directly like, hey, I see in your guidelines that you have the 72-hour hold policy. Is that no longer a policy? And that was one of the specific questions they did not answer. I reached out to Congressman Kevin Mullin. He wound up using his congressional authority to demand inspection of the facility. Congressman Mullin was able to ask them some direct questions during his visit. According to him, they told him like, yes, this is a distinct policy shift under Trump. We would have given these people follow-up appointments before and now we keep them here. You know, they said sometimes because of waiting on court records and weekends. Uh, sometimes people are here longer than three days.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>They did not respond to a long list of questions I sent them. I asked customs directly like, hey, I see in your guidelines that you have the 72-hour hold policy. Is that no longer a policy? And that was one of the specific questions they did not answer. I reached out to Congressman Kevin Mullin. He wound up using his congressional authority to demand inspection of the facility. Congressman Mullin was able to ask them some direct questions during his visit. According to him, they told him like, yes, this is a distinct policy shift under Trump. We would have given these people follow-up appointments before and now we keep them here. You know, they said sometimes because of waiting on court records and weekends. Uh, sometimes people are here longer than three days.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I mean, it seems just like it’s safe to say that airports have sort of become this new frontier in Trump’s immigration crackdown, I’m curious what immigrant attorneys and advocates are advising people to do?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I mean, it seems just like it’s safe to say that airports have sort of become this new frontier in Trump’s immigration crackdown, I’m curious what immigrant attorneys and advocates are advising people to do?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>Yeah, I mean, there’s definitely the advice out there to just not travel, and I understand why people are heeding that advice. I would say if you are someone with a green card or another visa, you need to be really aware of exactly what your status is. So if you’re a green-card holder who has had a past brushing with law enforcement, you need to really sure that if you think your charges are vacated that they actually are before you travel internationally. And then for those who have visa overstays, the risk is that you will be targeted even if you don’t have any criminal history.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>Yeah, I mean, there’s definitely the advice out there to just not travel, and I understand why people are heeding that advice. I would say if you are someone with a green card or another visa, you need to be really aware of exactly what your status is. So if you’re a green-card holder who has had a past brushing with law enforcement, you need to really sure that if you think your charges are vacated that they actually are before you travel internationally. And then for those who have visa overstays, the risk is that you will be targeted even if you don’t have any criminal history.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, Sara, thank you so much for sharing your reporting with us. I appreciate it. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale:\u003c/strong> Thank you so much for having me. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> That was Sara DiNatale, a politics reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle. We’ll leave you a link to Sara’s reporting on this in our show notes. Thanks as well to KQED’s Katie DeBenedetti for some of the tape that you heard at the top of this episode. This episode was cut down and edited by producer Gabriela Glueck. It was produced and scored by me. Our senior editor is Alan Montecillo, music courtesy of AudioNetwork. If you wanna reach us here at The Bay, feel free to send us an email. We’re at thebayatkqed.org. Support for The Bay is provided in part by the Osher Production Fund. Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by the Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco, Northern California Local. And I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thanks so much for listening to The Bay. Talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> That was Sara DiNatale, a politics reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle. We’ll leave you a link to Sara’s reporting on this in our show notes. Thanks as well to KQED’s Katie DeBenedetti for some of the tape that you heard at the top of this episode. This episode was cut down and edited by producer Gabriela Glueck. It was produced and scored by me. Our senior editor is Alan Montecillo, music courtesy of AudioNetwork. If you wanna reach us here at The Bay, feel free to send us an email. We’re at thebayatkqed.org. Support for The Bay is provided in part by the Osher Production Fund. Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by the Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco, Northern California Local. And I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thanks so much for listening to The Bay. Talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n"
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>The Trump administration has ramped up immigration arrests at airports in recent months, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/iryna-gorb-sfo-arrest-released-22436690.php\">including at San Francisco International Airport\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to reporting by the San Francisco Chronicle, Customs and Border Protection has also been holding immigrants at SFO – in some cases, for more than a week. Reporter Sara DiNatale joins us to explain how the airport has become a de facto detention center.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Links:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/sfo-immigration-detention-ice-22405344.php\">Under Trump, SFO is now a de facto immigration detention center (San Francisco Chronicle)\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Episode transcript\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This transcript is computer-generated. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to The Bay, local news to keep you rooted. Earlier this summer, plain clothes immigration officers were seen at San Francisco International Airport, pinning down a woman as she cried for help. Concerned travelers hovered nearby, recording the incident.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Iryna Gorb: \u003c/strong>No, they’re fucking ICE! I’m from Ukraine!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>The woman would be later identified as 38-year-old Iryna Gorb, a Ukrainian photographer and barista who’s been living and working in the U.S. for the last 16 years. Here’s her friend, Andy Eblin, speaking to KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Andy Eblin: \u003c/strong>There’s a reason that she’s got a lot of support, she is a good person that helped out a lot. That’s just kinda how she was.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Gorb was detained by ICE for seven weeks. And it’s not just people being arrested by ICE at airports. According to reporting from the San Francisco Chronicle, SFO is also being used as a de facto detention center by Customs and Border Protection.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>The impression that a lot of immigration attorneys have and folks who have been in the detention centers recently have told me like, yeah, a lot of people I’m in here with are people who were picked up at the airport.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Today, we talk with the San Francisco Chronicle’s Sara DiNatale about how airports have become the new frontier in Trump’s immigration crackdown.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>It’s not like this is happening constantly, but it is still happening more because it used to never happen. Historically ICE agents have not entered airports, domestic terminals, picking up people for visa overstays, especially people with visa overstay that have no criminal history. So we have seen this happen at our airport in San Francisco, it picked up over the summer and around that same time that we were noticing it locally, the New York Times tracked that it was happening regularly or at least semi-regularly at 15 major airports across the country.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And I mean, this is not something that we’ve seen before, like these kinds of immigration enforcement actions happening at airports. I mean is this part of a broader strategy by the Trump administration to target immigrants at airports specifically?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>So it’s not like the Trump administration or ICE has come out directly and said, like, this is our strategical avenue we’re taking, but the impression that a lot of immigration attorneys have and folks who have been in the detention centers recently have told me, like, yeah, a lot people I’m in here with are people who were picked up at the airport. The reason we think that is likely what’s happening is because we do know that there are current court orders that are preventing ICE from targeting court houses, which is the main enforcement efforts we saw last year. So the thought among immigration attorneys and other experts in immigration is that the shift to focusing on airports is a response to the fact that it is not as easy anymore to get people when they’re doing court hearings or check-ins with ICE because of these court orders. Trump has still made it clear that he has, you know, these large deportation goals. And so that is why people think airports have become a shift in that strategy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Can you kind of describe some of the kinds of immigration actions that are happening at airports like SFO?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>Yeah, the videos we’ve seen all follow a very similar formula. You typically see plain, closed ICE agents. It’s not particularly obvious that they’re federal immigration enforcement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Iryna Gorb: \u003c/strong>I need more! No!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>They are coming to the airport with some kind of list or understanding of exactly who they’re targeting. TSA is likely sharing information. So they’re intersecting them either right when they’re getting off a flight or waiting to get on a flight.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So we’re seeing these videos of people getting arrested at airports, but also your reporting has shown that people are actually being detained and held at San Francisco International Airport by Customs and Border Protection sometimes for days. Can you tell us a little bit more about what your reporting found?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>Yeah, and there’s an important distinction here. Both practices are both part of Trump’s broader deportation crackdown, but the methods and framework that are being used are a little different. So when we’re talking about the people who are in domestic terminals that ICE agents are arresting in, those people are not the same people that we found being held in the airport. The people being held at the airport are flying internationally. Because when you’re flying internationally, you are essentially at the border asking for entry. And what we found and what our reporting found is that the people held at the airport are having this longer in-between step. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> So what exactly has changed? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale:\u003c/strong> Traditionally, if you had been flying internationally you have a work permit visa or a green card and something about your background check pops in the Customs and Border Protection system. If it wasn’t like an active warrant, typically they would say, hey, something weird popped up on your your background check, we need to set up a follow up appointment to go through this, you would get like a temporary release. So you’re allowed to leave the airport and you know, you have to come back and check with the customs officers. Sometimes you would be able to bring your immigration attorney. And they’re basically holding your green card or your work permit as collateral. So like people always came back for these appointments. It wasn’t like people were running off. But now the follow-up appointment, which is called deferred inspection, is essentially dead. And so instead of a follow-up appointment, they’re just holding them at the airport until they can decide what to do with them. And typically the end decision, which sometimes can take up to a week or more, is to transfer them to ICE detention with an order to go before an immigration judge to decide whether or not they’re admissible into the country.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>You’re saying some of these folks are being held at the airport for up to a week, potentially?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>Yes. So typically what happens because these are often really old arrests. And in a lot of cases, they are expunged from their state record. So they’re flying, not realizing that the federal system being used for the background check will still pull up a state expunges arrest. And then the agents are saying, Okay, well, we need to request your original court records. And until we have those court records to decide if you should be admitted or not. You just have to hold tight and the time that they’re waiting to get those records can span. If it is a Friday, the court is not going to send the certified records over the weekend. I’ve also had immigration attorneys tell me like, I have certified court records for the, like for this individual and I’m happy to bring them. And the agent said, no, we need them directly from either the arresting police agency or the court. Even if that was the case in the before times, it didn’t automatically mean you needed to be detained while you were awaiting that hearing. But now under Trump’s current executive orders, he’s made it very clear if there is a question about your admissibility and questions about your criminal history, you absolutely need to remain detained. They still have in there, it’s still linked on their website, you can read it, that people should not be held for more than 72 hours. And when we looked at the federal data which encompassed all the airports, we found that Customs and Border Protection has detained more than 400 people at international airports for longer than 72-hours since January and through July. And then of that 400 people, 146 were people who had valid green cards, so they were lawful permanent residents.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And where exactly in the airport are they being held?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale:\u003c/strong> It’s between A and G and like the part that connects both terminals that you like walk between. It’s all behind like the area you can’t get to unless like a customs agent is like walking with you. So this particular room is like kind of deep into the innards of the airport. There’s no windows. I have not been inside of it. They will not let me in. But it’s been described to me as just like a very, it looks like a basic like waiting room. Not somewhere you wanna sleep for days. There’s no beds. If you’ve ever been through customs and you get pulled for a secondary interview, you’re not allowed to have your phone. And that is the same with when you’re in being held in one of these rooms. You don’t have a phone or anything. So at SFO we know of 25 people who were held there for more than 72 hours from January through July and then 19 of those 25 people were transferred to ICE custody.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>We’ll have more with The Chronicle’s Sara DiNatale right after this. By the way, if you appreciate the local deep dives that we bring you on the bay, consider supporting our work by becoming a sustaining member of KQED. We can’t do this work without you. Just go to donate.kqed.org/podcasts. We’ll be right back. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> And like you said, this detainment area is really out of sight, and we haven’t known a lot about what is actually happening there, but you actually talked with a 67-year-old man who was held there. Tell me about him and his story?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>During this reporting process, I met a 67 year old man who was held at SFO for eight days starting in March. He agreed to talk to us without publishing his name because he doesn’t want any more attention to be put on his legal status. He is a green card holder. He has been a lawful permanent resident here for decades and he’s lived here legally for about 50 years. So he lives in Fresno. He was flying back from a trip to Mexico. And when he lands in Fresno, he is sitting on the plane and federal agents board and call his name. And they take him into custody right then and there. They cuffed his wrists and his feet, and they put him into a van, and they drove him to SFO. He was very confused about like what he was being arrested for on his way there actually in the van. He’s already starting to panic, especially because of his medical conditions. So he has diabetes and it was the end of his trip. So he didn’t have any more insulin on him because he was expecting to go home. Customs agents put him in this room. He is allowed one phone call to contact his son specifically just to ask for his medications. His son has to drive then from Fresno to SFO to deliver the medications. He also has no way to test his blood sugar. And it isn’t until a paramedic from the airport comes in to check him. That it becomes clear that he is having an episode. His blood sugar is way out of a normal range, he clearly needs insulin, and they do give him his insulin from his son finally, and he’s able to use it. He’s there for eight days. So through that eight days, he only had his blood sugar checked one time.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>How did he describe the conditions inside SFO while he was being detained?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>He described the whole experience as psychological torture. You know, he didn’t have a change of clothes. So they do take him to, they escort him to a shower every three days, but then he’s changing back into his dirty clothes after. You know he doesn’t have bed. So he’s described sleeping upright for the entire time. And you know, he was only snatching a couple hours of sleep in between, you know like it’s difficult to sleep upright. And in addition, the lights were always on. The diabetes wasn’t the only medical issue he had. He had some other medications he was required to take, and I didn’t even mention he’s also mostly blind. He doesn’t describe there being a formal medical screening, which is something you would expect and is required of any holding facility.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>What do we know about why he was detained by Customs and Border Protection?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>Yeah, so he wasn’t given a lot of clarity while it was happening to him. But he had an old 20 year old like run in with law enforcement that they essentially were looking into. I had one attorney I spoke with about just like this process describing it like a fishing expedition, like they are looking for something that they can argue makes you inadmissible.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So he was held at SFO for eight days, you said Sara. Where is he now?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>So, after his eight days, he was transferred to California City, which is the state’s largest detention center. Once he gets to California City, it takes a minute for him to be able to get connected with legal representation, but he eventually does. And they’re able to sort of untangle this old arrest and, you know, go before the court, make sure it’s clear that it’s a misdemeanor charge. And after five months, he does eventually get out. So he’s out, he has his green card still intact, and he’s just kind of recovering from this whole experience, which of course was very traumatic.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I mean, Sara, you’re describing, I mean in his words, psychological torture, people being held for days without really understanding why, not having access to legal representation. I mean is this legal? I mean can Customs and Border Protection just do this at airports here in the United States?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>So when someone is coming, re-entering the country, court history and case law history, time and time again says the government has its peak authority at that moment, because it is a matter of national security. And that gives them a lot of latitude to do these things within a legal framework. That’s not to say that like everything they’re doing is legal and won’t face legal challenges. We have seen attorneys challenge these spaces and, you know, saying, hey, you need to at least make sure they meet, like, the minimum requirement for what makes a facility safe.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And is Customs and Border Protection still keeping people in conditions like this within SFO?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>So since the 67-year-old’s detainment, Customs and Border Protections has started using a different room to house people and that room has padded benches where people can actually lay down. So that’s an improvement, at least slightly in the conditions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And what does the airport say? Like, do they have any jurisdiction over how customs operate?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>The airport itself has no control over what customs does with its space. So SFO cannot tell customs, hey, we don’t like this and you need to stop. Like because the airport is a border, customs has to have a space to operate and the airport has to provide that space. And once they hand over that space to them, they really can’t control what they do in it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And how has the Trump administration responded to this story?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>They did not respond to a long list of questions I sent them. I asked customs directly like, hey, I see in your guidelines that you have the 72-hour hold policy. Is that no longer a policy? And that was one of the specific questions they did not answer. I reached out to Congressman Kevin Mullin. He wound up using his congressional authority to demand inspection of the facility. Congressman Mullin was able to ask them some direct questions during his visit. According to him, they told him like, yes, this is a distinct policy shift under Trump. We would have given these people follow-up appointments before and now we keep them here. You know, they said sometimes because of waiting on court records and weekends. Uh, sometimes people are here longer than three days.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I mean, it seems just like it’s safe to say that airports have sort of become this new frontier in Trump’s immigration crackdown, I’m curious what immigrant attorneys and advocates are advising people to do?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale: \u003c/strong>Yeah, I mean, there’s definitely the advice out there to just not travel, and I understand why people are heeding that advice. I would say if you are someone with a green card or another visa, you need to be really aware of exactly what your status is. So if you’re a green-card holder who has had a past brushing with law enforcement, you need to really sure that if you think your charges are vacated that they actually are before you travel internationally. And then for those who have visa overstays, the risk is that you will be targeted even if you don’t have any criminal history.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, Sara, thank you so much for sharing your reporting with us. I appreciate it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sara DiNatale:\u003c/strong> Thank you so much for having me. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> That was Sara DiNatale, a politics reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle. We’ll leave you a link to Sara’s reporting on this in our show notes. Thanks as well to KQED’s Katie DeBenedetti for some of the tape that you heard at the top of this episode. This episode was cut down and edited by producer Gabriela Glueck. It was produced and scored by me. Our senior editor is Alan Montecillo, music courtesy of AudioNetwork. If you wanna reach us here at The Bay, feel free to send us an email. We’re at thebayatkqed.org. Support for The Bay is provided in part by the Osher Production Fund. Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by the Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco, Northern California Local. And I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thanks so much for listening to The Bay. Talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>Angelique Ramsey of Long Beach owns about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13992300/finding-your-people-meetups-hobbies-making-friends-bay-area\">25 fountain pens\u003c/a>. Her favorite is the Benu Euphoria, a glittering pen with a custom “architect” nib, a specialty grind that changes the shape of the line as you move the pen across the page.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was looking for something that wasn’t a throwaway,” said Ramsey, 38. “I like that intentionality of sitting down and writing a letter, having something that’s a possession that you take care of. And so, you know, you can go overboard with it, but you don’t have to.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In this era of incessant, instant communication, fountain pens seem like a novelty from another, analog era. Perhaps this is exactly why millennials especially are flocking to events like the \u003ca href=\"https://sanfranciscopenshow.com\">S.F. Pen Show\u003c/a> at the end of August, to rub shoulders with an estimated 5,000 people in various stages of vintage writing instrument obsession at the Westin San Francisco Airport Hotel in Millbrae.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though the San Francisco show isn’t the biggest in the country — that distinction belongs to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.dcpenshow.com\">Washington, D.C., Fountain Pen Supershow\u003c/a> — the S.F. Pen Show has become a major gathering for the Pacific Rim pen community.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/RainingFountainPens-RM-2-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097876\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/RainingFountainPens-RM-2-KQED.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/RainingFountainPens-RM-2-KQED-160x120.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From left, Angelique Ramsey, Tracy Velasquez and Jennifer Harford attend the S.F. Pen Show in Millbrae, California, on Aug. 28, 2026. Ramsey and Velasquez said they were primarily focused on drawing Harford, new to fountain pens, deeper into the obsession. (Rachael Myrow/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12097620\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00087_TV-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097620\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00087_TV-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00087_TV-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00087_TV-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pens on display at Michael’s Fat Boy pen booth at the San Francisco International Pen Show at The Westin San Francisco Airport in Millbrae on Aug. 30, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12097599\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00313_TV-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097599\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00313_TV-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00313_TV-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00313_TV-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Clare Coco holds up a pen made from abalone shells at the San Francisco International Pen Show at The Westin San Francisco Airport in Millbrae, California, on Aug. 30, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Patrick Yandell, 31, manages U.S. business for the pen manufacturer OMAS, founded a century ago in Bologna, Italy. Like many vintage pen brands, OMAS has had a complicated corporate history. LVMH bought the company from the founder’s heirs in 2000. After subsequent ownership changes and a period of dormancy, the brand was revived by descendants of the founder, Armando Simoni. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yandell says most people own digital devices to accomplish most of the practical tasks that used to be accomplished with pen and paper. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You can still find the sober black and navy blue pens similar to what your parents and grandparents wrote with, to be sure. But the display cases at the Pen Show are filled with iridescent resin, glitter and breathtakingly elaborate Japanese lacquerwork. The taste today is for pens — and accessories — that deliver maximum delight. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fountain pens cost anywhere from a few dollars for something like a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gouletpens.com/products/platinum-preppy-fountain-pen-violet\">Platinum Preppy\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"https://www.executivepensdirect.com/en-us/blogs/fun-stuff/the-ten-most-expensive-pens-in-the-world\">millions of dollars\u003c/a>, depending on a pen’s brand, craftsmanship, rarity and the precious materials involved. Your mileage will vary depending on your taste and bank account balance. That said, you don’t need to spend a lot of money to have a good time.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What we’re seeing now is a lot of people who came to fountain pens, not out of any practical sense whatsoever, but just as a hobby,” said Yandell, who owns more than 200 pens himself. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s part of a whole ecosystem that’s arisen.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Traditional OMAS pens are still on offer, and newer models are made with materials and techniques that evoke the company’s hundred-year history. The old world is still there — it just has more glitter, to accommodate the fact that a growing number of the people doing the buying and selling are in their 30s and 40s.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That sparkle caught the eye of Gardena-resident Tracy Velasquez, who traveled to the Pen Show with Ramsey and another friend, Jennifer Harford. Velasquez has nearly 100 pens in her collection. Her favorite is also a Benu Euphoria, a gift from her husband called Vodka on the Rocks. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The resin body is striking, made from a silver luminescent resin and featuring multicolored holographic sparkles. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I really like collecting things that are shiny,” Velasquez said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In contrast with her friends Ramsey and Velasquez, 38-year-old Harford of Berkeley owned exactly one: a Pilot fountain pen widely celebrated as an entry-level favorite. That was her entry down the rabbit hole that is fountain pen collecting, one her friends watch with affectionate excitement. They traveled north just to see her eyes agog at the crowds and the vast array of pens on display at the S.F. Pen Show.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/RainingFountainPens-RM-1-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097875\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/RainingFountainPens-RM-1-KQED.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/RainingFountainPens-RM-1-KQED-160x120.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A display case of Ogivas at the S.F. Pen Show in Millbrae, California, on Aug. 28, 2026, showcases materials and techniques that evoke the hundred-year history of Italian pen maker OMAS. The old world is still there. It just has more glitter. (Rachael Myrow/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“My fiancé bought me my first pen and ink, and so he was kind of the one to push me into it,” she said. “And once I had that start, then I was like, I see what the hype is.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.capenshow.com/\">California Pen Show\u003c/a>, held near Los Angeles each February, also has a particularly strong West Coast presence, but if the presence of Southern Californians at the Westin was any indication, the two shows complement each other as much as they compete. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s true for Fernanda Izidorio, who lives in Los Angeles and owns about 40 pens. She said the trip north is as much about community as it is machinery.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Izidorio is a member of the Greater Los Angeles Metro Pen & Ink Group, or Glampig, which has a presence on \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/glampig_club/\">Instagram\u003c/a> and Discord, as well as IRL groups that meet in L.A. and Orange counties. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00109_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097574\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00109_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00109_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00109_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Michael Hochstetler hovers a magnifying glass over a fountain pen at Michael’s Fat Boy pen booth at the San Francisco International Pen Show at The Westin San Francisco Airport in Millbrae, California, on Aug. 30, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-6 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"12097877\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/RainingFountainPens-RM-3-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097877\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/RainingFountainPens-RM-3-KQED.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/RainingFountainPens-RM-3-KQED-160x120.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Fernanda Izidorio is a member of the Greater Los Angeles Metro Pen & Ink Group, or Glampig, which has presence on Instagram and Discord, as well as IRL groups that meet in L.A. and Orange counties. “I actually really like meeting people in person,” Izidorio said. (Rachael Myrow/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12097596\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00237_TV-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097596\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00237_TV-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00237_TV-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00237_TV-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Attendees browse at the San Francisco International Pen Show at The Westin San Francisco Airport in Millbrae, California, on Aug. 30, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I actually really like meeting people in person,” Izidorio said. “It is, in a way, online. We get to contact each other, communicate through Discord. But then we actually meet in person and try pens. That’s very fun.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There are careers in this universe beyond manufacturing and retail. Nik Pang, 43, for instance, is a \u003ca href=\"https://entropy.ink\">professional calligrapher\u003c/a> who repairs and sells vintage pens.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Pang and his wife have imposed a hard “cap” on his personal collection: 700 pens and pen-like objects. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>About 500 of them, he said, aren’t particularly useful for writing, but he’s interested in the history of the technology. His wife once asked him a morbidly useful question: If their house were burning, and he had time to save just a few pens, which ones would he take?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Two of them are family heirlooms. His grandfather’s fountain pen was a Parker Duofold, commemorating 30 years on the police force. His father’s was a Parker 75, used while earning his doctorate.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s part of what makes the fountain-pen revival so multifaceted. The appeal is craftsmanship, as well as beauty, style and the pleasure of finding a community that draws in people from multiple generations, across the globe.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Angelique Ramsey of Long Beach owns about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13992300/finding-your-people-meetups-hobbies-making-friends-bay-area\">25 fountain pens\u003c/a>. Her favorite is the Benu Euphoria, a glittering pen with a custom “architect” nib, a specialty grind that changes the shape of the line as you move the pen across the page.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I was looking for something that wasn’t a throwaway,” said Ramsey, 38. “I like that intentionality of sitting down and writing a letter, having something that’s a possession that you take care of. And so, you know, you can go overboard with it, but you don’t have to.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I was looking for something that wasn’t a throwaway,” said Ramsey, 38. “I like that intentionality of sitting down and writing a letter, having something that’s a possession that you take care of. And so, you know, you can go overboard with it, but you don’t have to.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In this era of incessant, instant communication, fountain pens seem like a novelty from another, analog era. Perhaps this is exactly why millennials especially are flocking to events like the \u003ca href=\"https://sanfranciscopenshow.com\">S.F. Pen Show\u003c/a> at the end of August, to rub shoulders with an estimated 5,000 people in various stages of vintage writing instrument obsession at the Westin San Francisco Airport Hotel in Millbrae.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Though the San Francisco show isn’t the biggest in the country — that distinction belongs to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.dcpenshow.com\">Washington, D.C., Fountain Pen Supershow\u003c/a> — the S.F. Pen Show has become a major gathering for the Pacific Rim pen community.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Though the San Francisco show isn’t the biggest in the country — that distinction belongs to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.dcpenshow.com\">Washington, D.C., Fountain Pen Supershow\u003c/a> — the S.F. Pen Show has become a major gathering for the Pacific Rim pen community.\u003c/p>\n"
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/RainingFountainPens-RM-2-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097876\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From left, Angelique Ramsey, Tracy Velasquez and Jennifer Harford attend the S.F. Pen Show in Millbrae, California, on Aug. 28, 2026. Ramsey and Velasquez said they were primarily focused on drawing Harford, new to fountain pens, deeper into the obsession.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Rachael Myrow/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Patrick Yandell, 31, manages U.S. business for the pen manufacturer OMAS, founded a century ago in Bologna, Italy. Like many vintage pen brands, OMAS has had a complicated corporate history. LVMH bought the company from the founder’s heirs in 2000. After subsequent ownership changes and a period of dormancy, the brand was revived by descendants of the founder, Armando Simoni. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yandell says most people own digital devices to accomplish most of the practical tasks that used to be accomplished with pen and paper. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>You can still find the sober black and navy blue pens similar to what your parents and grandparents wrote with, to be sure. But the display cases at the Pen Show are filled with iridescent resin, glitter and breathtakingly elaborate Japanese lacquerwork. The taste today is for pens — and accessories — that deliver maximum delight. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>You can still find the sober black and navy blue pens similar to what your parents and grandparents wrote with, to be sure. But the display cases at the Pen Show are filled with iridescent resin, glitter and breathtakingly elaborate Japanese lacquerwork. The taste today is for pens — and accessories — that deliver maximum delight. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Fountain pens cost anywhere from a few dollars for something like a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gouletpens.com/products/platinum-preppy-fountain-pen-violet\">Platinum Preppy\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"https://www.executivepensdirect.com/en-us/blogs/fun-stuff/the-ten-most-expensive-pens-in-the-world\">millions of dollars\u003c/a>, depending on a pen’s brand, craftsmanship, rarity and the precious materials involved. Your mileage will vary depending on your taste and bank account balance. That said, you don’t need to spend a lot of money to have a good time.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Fountain pens cost anywhere from a few dollars for something like a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gouletpens.com/products/platinum-preppy-fountain-pen-violet\">Platinum Preppy\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"https://www.executivepensdirect.com/en-us/blogs/fun-stuff/the-ten-most-expensive-pens-in-the-world\">millions of dollars\u003c/a>, depending on a pen’s brand, craftsmanship, rarity and the precious materials involved. Your mileage will vary depending on your taste and bank account balance. That said, you don’t need to spend a lot of money to have a good time.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“What we’re seeing now is a lot of people who came to fountain pens, not out of any practical sense whatsoever, but just as a hobby,” said Yandell, who owns more than 200 pens himself. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Traditional OMAS pens are still on offer, and newer models are made with materials and techniques that evoke the company’s hundred-year history. The old world is still there — it just has more glitter, to accommodate the fact that a growing number of the people doing the buying and selling are in their 30s and 40s.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That sparkle caught the eye of Gardena-resident Tracy Velasquez, who traveled to the Pen Show with Ramsey and another friend, Jennifer Harford. Velasquez has nearly 100 pens in her collection. Her favorite is also a Benu Euphoria, a gift from her husband called Vodka on the Rocks. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That sparkle caught the eye of Gardena-resident Tracy Velasquez, who traveled to the Pen Show with Ramsey and another friend, Jennifer Harford. Velasquez has nearly 100 pens in her collection. Her favorite is also a Benu Euphoria, a gift from her husband called Vodka on the Rocks. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The resin body is striking, made from a silver luminescent resin and featuring multicolored holographic sparkles. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I really like collecting things that are shiny,” Velasquez said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In contrast with her friends Ramsey and Velasquez, 38-year-old Harford of Berkeley owned exactly one: a Pilot fountain pen widely celebrated as an entry-level favorite. That was her entry down the rabbit hole that is fountain pen collecting, one her friends watch with affectionate excitement. They traveled north just to see her eyes agog at the crowds and the vast array of pens on display at the S.F. Pen Show.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In contrast with her friends Ramsey and Velasquez, 38-year-old Harford of Berkeley owned exactly one: a Pilot fountain pen widely celebrated as an entry-level favorite. That was her entry down the rabbit hole that is fountain pen collecting, one her friends watch with affectionate excitement. They traveled north just to see her eyes agog at the crowds and the vast array of pens on display at the S.F. Pen Show.\u003c/p>\n"
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/RainingFountainPens-RM-1-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097875\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A display case of Ogivas at the S.F. Pen Show in Millbrae, California, on Aug. 28, 2026, showcases materials and techniques that evoke the hundred-year history of Italian pen maker OMAS. The old world is still there. It just has more glitter.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Rachael Myrow/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“My fiancé bought me my first pen and ink, and so he was kind of the one to push me into it,” she said. “And once I had that start, then I was like, I see what the hype is.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.capenshow.com/\">California Pen Show\u003c/a>, held near Los Angeles each February, also has a particularly strong West Coast presence, but if the presence of Southern Californians at the Westin was any indication, the two shows complement each other as much as they compete. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That’s true for Fernanda Izidorio, who lives in Los Angeles and owns about 40 pens. She said the trip north is as much about community as it is machinery.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Izidorio is a member of the Greater Los Angeles Metro Pen & Ink Group, or Glampig, which has a presence on \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/glampig_club/\">Instagram\u003c/a> and Discord, as well as IRL groups that meet in L.A. and Orange counties. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/RainingFountainPens-RM-3-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097877\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Fernanda Izidorio is a member of the Greater Los Angeles Metro Pen & Ink Group, or Glampig, which has presence on Instagram and Discord, as well as IRL groups that meet in L.A. and Orange counties. “I actually really like meeting people in person,” Izidorio said.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I actually really like meeting people in person,” Izidorio said. “It is, in a way, online. We get to contact each other, communicate through Discord. But then we actually meet in person and try pens. That’s very fun.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There are careers in this universe beyond manufacturing and retail. Nik Pang, 43, for instance, is a \u003ca href=\"https://entropy.ink\">professional calligrapher\u003c/a> who repairs and sells vintage pens.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>There are careers in this universe beyond manufacturing and retail. Nik Pang, 43, for instance, is a \u003ca href=\"https://entropy.ink\">professional calligrapher\u003c/a> who repairs and sells vintage pens.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Pang and his wife have imposed a hard “cap” on his personal collection: 700 pens and pen-like objects. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>About 500 of them, he said, aren’t particularly useful for writing, but he’s interested in the history of the technology. His wife once asked him a morbidly useful question: If their house were burning, and he had time to save just a few pens, which ones would he take?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>About 500 of them, he said, aren’t particularly useful for writing, but he’s interested in the history of the technology. His wife once asked him a morbidly useful question: If their house were burning, and he had time to save just a few pens, which ones would he take?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Two of them are family heirlooms. His grandfather’s fountain pen was a Parker Duofold, commemorating 30 years on the police force. His father’s was a Parker 75, used while earning his doctorate.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Two of them are family heirlooms. His grandfather’s fountain pen was a Parker Duofold, commemorating 30 years on the police force. His father’s was a Parker 75, used while earning his doctorate.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That’s part of what makes the fountain-pen revival so multifaceted. The appeal is craftsmanship, as well as beauty, style and the pleasure of finding a community that draws in people from multiple generations, across the globe.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That’s part of what makes the fountain-pen revival so multifaceted. The appeal is craftsmanship, as well as beauty, style and the pleasure of finding a community that draws in people from multiple generations, across the globe.\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Around 5,000 people gathered in San Francisco in August for an international fountain pen show. Many collectors who grew up digital are remaking the culture, online and IRL.",
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"title": "For These Millennial Fountain Pen Fans, Community Is the Real Collectible | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Angelique Ramsey of Long Beach owns about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13992300/finding-your-people-meetups-hobbies-making-friends-bay-area\">25 fountain pens\u003c/a>. Her favorite is the Benu Euphoria, a glittering pen with a custom “architect” nib, a specialty grind that changes the shape of the line as you move the pen across the page.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was looking for something that wasn’t a throwaway,” said Ramsey, 38. “I like that intentionality of sitting down and writing a letter, having something that’s a possession that you take care of. And so, you know, you can go overboard with it, but you don’t have to.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In this era of incessant, instant communication, fountain pens seem like a novelty from another, analog era. Perhaps this is exactly why millennials especially are flocking to events like the \u003ca href=\"https://sanfranciscopenshow.com\">S.F. Pen Show\u003c/a> at the end of August, to rub shoulders with an estimated 5,000 people in various stages of vintage writing instrument obsession at the Westin San Francisco Airport Hotel in Millbrae.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though the San Francisco show isn’t the biggest in the country — that distinction belongs to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.dcpenshow.com\">Washington, D.C., Fountain Pen Supershow\u003c/a> — the S.F. Pen Show has become a major gathering for the Pacific Rim pen community.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/RainingFountainPens-RM-2-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097876\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/RainingFountainPens-RM-2-KQED.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/RainingFountainPens-RM-2-KQED-160x120.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From left, Angelique Ramsey, Tracy Velasquez and Jennifer Harford attend the S.F. Pen Show in Millbrae, California, on Aug. 28, 2026. Ramsey and Velasquez said they were primarily focused on drawing Harford, new to fountain pens, deeper into the obsession. (Rachael Myrow/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12097620\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00087_TV-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097620\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00087_TV-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00087_TV-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00087_TV-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pens on display at Michael’s Fat Boy pen booth at the San Francisco International Pen Show at The Westin San Francisco Airport in Millbrae on Aug. 30, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12097599\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00313_TV-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097599\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00313_TV-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00313_TV-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00313_TV-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Clare Coco holds up a pen made from abalone shells at the San Francisco International Pen Show at The Westin San Francisco Airport in Millbrae, California, on Aug. 30, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Patrick Yandell, 31, manages U.S. business for the pen manufacturer OMAS, founded a century ago in Bologna, Italy. Like many vintage pen brands, OMAS has had a complicated corporate history. LVMH bought the company from the founder’s heirs in 2000. After subsequent ownership changes and a period of dormancy, the brand was revived by descendants of the founder, Armando Simoni. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yandell says most people own digital devices to accomplish most of the practical tasks that used to be accomplished with pen and paper. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You can still find the sober black and navy blue pens similar to what your parents and grandparents wrote with, to be sure. But the display cases at the Pen Show are filled with iridescent resin, glitter and breathtakingly elaborate Japanese lacquerwork. The taste today is for pens — and accessories — that deliver maximum delight. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fountain pens cost anywhere from a few dollars for something like a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gouletpens.com/products/platinum-preppy-fountain-pen-violet\">Platinum Preppy\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"https://www.executivepensdirect.com/en-us/blogs/fun-stuff/the-ten-most-expensive-pens-in-the-world\">millions of dollars\u003c/a>, depending on a pen’s brand, craftsmanship, rarity and the precious materials involved. Your mileage will vary depending on your taste and bank account balance. That said, you don’t need to spend a lot of money to have a good time.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What we’re seeing now is a lot of people who came to fountain pens, not out of any practical sense whatsoever, but just as a hobby,” said Yandell, who owns more than 200 pens himself. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s part of a whole ecosystem that’s arisen.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Traditional OMAS pens are still on offer, and newer models are made with materials and techniques that evoke the company’s hundred-year history. The old world is still there — it just has more glitter, to accommodate the fact that a growing number of the people doing the buying and selling are in their 30s and 40s.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That sparkle caught the eye of Gardena-resident Tracy Velasquez, who traveled to the Pen Show with Ramsey and another friend, Jennifer Harford. Velasquez has nearly 100 pens in her collection. Her favorite is also a Benu Euphoria, a gift from her husband called Vodka on the Rocks. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The resin body is striking, made from a silver luminescent resin and featuring multicolored holographic sparkles. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I really like collecting things that are shiny,” Velasquez said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In contrast with her friends Ramsey and Velasquez, 38-year-old Harford of Berkeley owned exactly one: a Pilot fountain pen widely celebrated as an entry-level favorite. That was her entry down the rabbit hole that is fountain pen collecting, one her friends watch with affectionate excitement. They traveled north just to see her eyes agog at the crowds and the vast array of pens on display at the S.F. Pen Show.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/RainingFountainPens-RM-1-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097875\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/RainingFountainPens-RM-1-KQED.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/RainingFountainPens-RM-1-KQED-160x120.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A display case of Ogivas at the S.F. Pen Show in Millbrae, California, on Aug. 28, 2026, showcases materials and techniques that evoke the hundred-year history of Italian pen maker OMAS. The old world is still there. It just has more glitter. (Rachael Myrow/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“My fiancé bought me my first pen and ink, and so he was kind of the one to push me into it,” she said. “And once I had that start, then I was like, I see what the hype is.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.capenshow.com/\">California Pen Show\u003c/a>, held near Los Angeles each February, also has a particularly strong West Coast presence, but if the presence of Southern Californians at the Westin was any indication, the two shows complement each other as much as they compete. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s true for Fernanda Izidorio, who lives in Los Angeles and owns about 40 pens. She said the trip north is as much about community as it is machinery.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Izidorio is a member of the Greater Los Angeles Metro Pen & Ink Group, or Glampig, which has a presence on \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/glampig_club/\">Instagram\u003c/a> and Discord, as well as IRL groups that meet in L.A. and Orange counties. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00109_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097574\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00109_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00109_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00109_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Michael Hochstetler hovers a magnifying glass over a fountain pen at Michael’s Fat Boy pen booth at the San Francisco International Pen Show at The Westin San Francisco Airport in Millbrae, California, on Aug. 30, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-6 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"12097877\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/RainingFountainPens-RM-3-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097877\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/RainingFountainPens-RM-3-KQED.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/RainingFountainPens-RM-3-KQED-160x120.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Fernanda Izidorio is a member of the Greater Los Angeles Metro Pen & Ink Group, or Glampig, which has presence on Instagram and Discord, as well as IRL groups that meet in L.A. and Orange counties. “I actually really like meeting people in person,” Izidorio said. (Rachael Myrow/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12097596\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00237_TV-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097596\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00237_TV-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00237_TV-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260830-itsrainingfountainpens-00237_TV-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Attendees browse at the San Francisco International Pen Show at The Westin San Francisco Airport in Millbrae, California, on Aug. 30, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I actually really like meeting people in person,” Izidorio said. “It is, in a way, online. We get to contact each other, communicate through Discord. But then we actually meet in person and try pens. That’s very fun.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There are careers in this universe beyond manufacturing and retail. Nik Pang, 43, for instance, is a \u003ca href=\"https://entropy.ink\">professional calligrapher\u003c/a> who repairs and sells vintage pens.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Pang and his wife have imposed a hard “cap” on his personal collection: 700 pens and pen-like objects. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>About 500 of them, he said, aren’t particularly useful for writing, but he’s interested in the history of the technology. His wife once asked him a morbidly useful question: If their house were burning, and he had time to save just a few pens, which ones would he take?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Two of them are family heirlooms. His grandfather’s fountain pen was a Parker Duofold, commemorating 30 years on the police force. His father’s was a Parker 75, used while earning his doctorate.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s part of what makes the fountain-pen revival so multifaceted. The appeal is craftsmanship, as well as beauty, style and the pleasure of finding a community that draws in people from multiple generations, across the globe.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "bay-area-immigrant-advocates-warn-noncitizens-to-avoid-air-travel-after-ice-arrests",
"title": "Bay Area Immigrant Advocates Warn Noncitizens to Avoid Air Travel After ICE Arrests",
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"headTitle": "Bay Area Immigrant Advocates Warn Noncitizens to Avoid Air Travel After ICE Arrests | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>More than a dozen people have been \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077353/ice-airports-tsa-trump-deployed-shutdown-sfo-incident-your-rights-what-to-know\">detained at Bay Area airports\u003c/a> since June 27, according to local rapid response networks, which monitor and respond to federal enforcement operations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Following a surge in \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/01/us/politics/ice-immigrant-arrests-surge.html\">arrests \u003c/a>in recent weeks, immigrants’ rights advocates are urging people without U.S. citizenship to avoid air travel.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We are recommending that during this period of time, during this administration … if you don’t have an urgent matter to travel for, even domestically, that you think about it to determine whether the risks are worth it,” said Jazmin Preciado, an attorney with Centro Legal de la Raza in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On June 27, a man from Argentina, who entered the United States with his wife on a visa in 2020, was detained at Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport, where he planned to depart for Texas. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to Preciado, the couple had overstayed their visas during the COVID-19 pandemic and remained in the country. But the man and his wife, along with their child, who was born in the U.S., planned to return to Argentina in October, Preciado said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The individual had taken a domestic flight maybe about three months ago, and it was without incident, so he figured, ‘I can take one more flight right before we take off permanently,’” Preciado said. “And it was different.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She said the man spent multiple days in a detention facility before Alameda County’s Rapid Response Network was able to connect him with legal representation and secure a court order to release him from custody. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEATING-91-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12067064\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEATING-91-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEATING-91-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEATING-91-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The International Terminal at San Francisco International Airport on Dec. 10, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the last month, advocates have tracked similar arrests across the Bay Area. On July 22, video footage of San Francisco resident Iryna Gorb \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092491/it-wasnt-right-woman-arrested-by-ice-at-sfo-is-a-san-francisco-photographer-barista\">being forcibly detained\u003c/a> at San Francisco International Airport while traveling circulated online, and an Oakland woman was \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2026/07/22/ice-oakland-resident-detained-denver-airport-immigration/\">detained\u003c/a> at the Denver International Airport on July 20.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to a spokesperson for the Santa Clara County Rapid Response Network, the county’s coalition has recorded 10 arrests of residents traveling through SFO and San José Mineta International airports since July 1. Six were arrested at SFO, while four were at SJC.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco and Alameda County Rapid Response Networks said they weren’t able to provide a full account of arrests at airports for their counties’ residents, but both said the practice is becoming more regular.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’ve been seeing an uptick in reports, not just from the Bay Area, but from around the country, of similar arrests,” Preciado said. “It’s definitely been a lot more consistently that we’ve heard of this happening.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Arrests of domestic travelers have become more common in the last year, as the Trump administration has significantly expanded Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations and budget over the last year and a half. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The first known airport arrest of a Santa Clara County resident at the San José Airport was in November, according to the county’s rapid response network spokesperson. Since then, the network has recorded a few arrests each month. In March, a mother and daughter who lived in Contra Costa County were detained at SFO, drawing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12082395/san-francisco-condemns-immigration-and-customs-enforcement-actions-at-sfo-airport\">broad condemnation\u003c/a> for the arrests in a sanctuary city.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The March detention sparked controversy again after \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/us/tsa-data-ice-deportation-san-francisco-airport.html\">\u003cem>New York Times\u003c/em>\u003c/a> reporting found that the Transportation Security Agency \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077581/bay-area-officials-raise-privacy-concerns-after-ice-arrest-at-sfo\">tipped off immigration officials\u003c/a> that the pair would be traveling after their names showed up on a flight’s passenger list. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The TSA has said that information sharing is routine and legal because the agency is a part of the Department of Homeland Security. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It is not new policy to share information between the agencies of the Department of Homeland Security,” TSA’s acting director Ha Nguyen McNeill said during a Congressional hearing in January. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We are supporting the mission of our colleagues at the Department of Homeland Security, and that includes enforcement of immigration laws,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Still, Milli Atkinson, director of the Immigrant Legal Defense Program at the San Francisco Bar Association, said the uptick in arrests indicates that TSA may be sharing passenger information more frequently than in the past. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEATING-87-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12067062\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEATING-87-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEATING-87-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEATING-87-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Passengers wait for their flight at San Francisco International Airport on Dec. 10, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What we’re seeing now is ICE showing up at airports because they have information about travelers, they have ID information,” she said. “It just appears that TSA is now cooperating with ICE at a level that we haven’t seen before.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the Santa Clara rapid response network said the coalition has seen airport arrests of people who have overstayed tourist visas, asylum seekers with open cases and permanent residents who may have had prior interaction with law enforcement that might show up on their record. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If people without legal status choose to travel, Preciado and other advocates suggest people consult an attorney who can provide a “full understanding of what risks they’re going to be undertaking.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now is not a safe time to be traveling through airports unless you’ve spoken to an attorney and you assess what risk there is,” Atkinson told KQED on Friday.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We are recommending that during this period of time, during this administration … if you don’t have an urgent matter to travel for, even domestically, that you think about it to determine whether the risks are worth it,” said Jazmin Preciado, an attorney with Centro Legal de la Raza in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>According to Preciado, the couple had overstayed their visas during the COVID-19 pandemic and remained in the country. But the man and his wife, along with their child, who was born in the U.S., planned to return to Argentina in October, Preciado said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The individual had taken a domestic flight maybe about three months ago, and it was without incident, so he figured, ‘I can take one more flight right before we take off permanently,’” Preciado said. “And it was different.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She said the man spent multiple days in a detention facility before Alameda County’s Rapid Response Network was able to connect him with legal representation and secure a court order to release him from custody. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the last month, advocates have tracked similar arrests across the Bay Area. On July 22, video footage of San Francisco resident Iryna Gorb \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092491/it-wasnt-right-woman-arrested-by-ice-at-sfo-is-a-san-francisco-photographer-barista\">being forcibly detained\u003c/a> at San Francisco International Airport while traveling circulated online, and an Oakland woman was \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2026/07/22/ice-oakland-resident-detained-denver-airport-immigration/\">detained\u003c/a> at the Denver International Airport on July 20.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>According to a spokesperson for the Santa Clara County Rapid Response Network, the county’s coalition has recorded 10 arrests of residents traveling through SFO and San José Mineta International airports since July 1. Six were arrested at SFO, while four were at SJC.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>According to a spokesperson for the Santa Clara County Rapid Response Network, the county’s coalition has recorded 10 arrests of residents traveling through SFO and San José Mineta International airports since July 1. Six were arrested at SFO, while four were at SJC.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San Francisco and Alameda County Rapid Response Networks said they weren’t able to provide a full account of arrests at airports for their counties’ residents, but both said the practice is becoming more regular.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’ve been seeing an uptick in reports, not just from the Bay Area, but from around the country, of similar arrests,” Preciado said. “It’s definitely been a lot more consistently that we’ve heard of this happening.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We’ve been seeing an uptick in reports, not just from the Bay Area, but from around the country, of similar arrests,” Preciado said. “It’s definitely been a lot more consistently that we’ve heard of this happening.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Arrests of domestic travelers have become more common in the last year, as the Trump administration has significantly expanded Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations and budget over the last year and a half. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The first known airport arrest of a Santa Clara County resident at the San José Airport was in November, according to the county’s rapid response network spokesperson. Since then, the network has recorded a few arrests each month. In March, a mother and daughter who lived in Contra Costa County were detained at SFO, drawing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12082395/san-francisco-condemns-immigration-and-customs-enforcement-actions-at-sfo-airport\">broad condemnation\u003c/a> for the arrests in a sanctuary city.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The March detention sparked controversy again after \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/us/tsa-data-ice-deportation-san-francisco-airport.html\">\u003cem>New York Times\u003c/em>\u003c/a> reporting found that the Transportation Security Agency \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077581/bay-area-officials-raise-privacy-concerns-after-ice-arrest-at-sfo\">tipped off immigration officials\u003c/a> that the pair would be traveling after their names showed up on a flight’s passenger list. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The March detention sparked controversy again after \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/us/tsa-data-ice-deportation-san-francisco-airport.html\">\u003cem>New York Times\u003c/em>\u003c/a> reporting found that the Transportation Security Agency \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077581/bay-area-officials-raise-privacy-concerns-after-ice-arrest-at-sfo\">tipped off immigration officials\u003c/a> that the pair would be traveling after their names showed up on a flight’s passenger list. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The TSA has said that information sharing is routine and legal because the agency is a part of the Department of Homeland Security. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It is not new policy to share information between the agencies of the Department of Homeland Security,” TSA’s acting director Ha Nguyen McNeill said during a Congressional hearing in January. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We are supporting the mission of our colleagues at the Department of Homeland Security, and that includes enforcement of immigration laws,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Still, Milli Atkinson, director of the Immigrant Legal Defense Program at the San Francisco Bar Association, said the uptick in arrests indicates that TSA may be sharing passenger information more frequently than in the past. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Still, Milli Atkinson, director of the Immigrant Legal Defense Program at the San Francisco Bar Association, said the uptick in arrests indicates that TSA may be sharing passenger information more frequently than in the past. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“What we’re seeing now is ICE showing up at airports because they have information about travelers, they have ID information,” she said. “It just appears that TSA is now cooperating with ICE at a level that we haven’t seen before.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the Santa Clara rapid response network said the coalition has seen airport arrests of people who have overstayed tourist visas, asylum seekers with open cases and permanent residents who may have had prior interaction with law enforcement that might show up on their record. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If people without legal status choose to travel, Preciado and other advocates suggest people consult an attorney who can provide a “full understanding of what risks they’re going to be undertaking.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Now is not a safe time to be traveling through airports unless you’ve spoken to an attorney and you assess what risk there is,” Atkinson told KQED on Friday.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "More than a dozen travelers have been detained in recent weeks, prompting immigration lawyers to warn visa holders, asylum seekers and other noncitizens about the risks of flying.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>More than a dozen people have been \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077353/ice-airports-tsa-trump-deployed-shutdown-sfo-incident-your-rights-what-to-know\">detained at Bay Area airports\u003c/a> since June 27, according to local rapid response networks, which monitor and respond to federal enforcement operations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Following a surge in \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/01/us/politics/ice-immigrant-arrests-surge.html\">arrests \u003c/a>in recent weeks, immigrants’ rights advocates are urging people without U.S. citizenship to avoid air travel.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We are recommending that during this period of time, during this administration … if you don’t have an urgent matter to travel for, even domestically, that you think about it to determine whether the risks are worth it,” said Jazmin Preciado, an attorney with Centro Legal de la Raza in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On June 27, a man from Argentina, who entered the United States with his wife on a visa in 2020, was detained at Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport, where he planned to depart for Texas. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to Preciado, the couple had overstayed their visas during the COVID-19 pandemic and remained in the country. But the man and his wife, along with their child, who was born in the U.S., planned to return to Argentina in October, Preciado said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The individual had taken a domestic flight maybe about three months ago, and it was without incident, so he figured, ‘I can take one more flight right before we take off permanently,’” Preciado said. “And it was different.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She said the man spent multiple days in a detention facility before Alameda County’s Rapid Response Network was able to connect him with legal representation and secure a court order to release him from custody. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEATING-91-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12067064\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEATING-91-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEATING-91-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEATING-91-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The International Terminal at San Francisco International Airport on Dec. 10, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the last month, advocates have tracked similar arrests across the Bay Area. On July 22, video footage of San Francisco resident Iryna Gorb \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092491/it-wasnt-right-woman-arrested-by-ice-at-sfo-is-a-san-francisco-photographer-barista\">being forcibly detained\u003c/a> at San Francisco International Airport while traveling circulated online, and an Oakland woman was \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2026/07/22/ice-oakland-resident-detained-denver-airport-immigration/\">detained\u003c/a> at the Denver International Airport on July 20.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to a spokesperson for the Santa Clara County Rapid Response Network, the county’s coalition has recorded 10 arrests of residents traveling through SFO and San José Mineta International airports since July 1. Six were arrested at SFO, while four were at SJC.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco and Alameda County Rapid Response Networks said they weren’t able to provide a full account of arrests at airports for their counties’ residents, but both said the practice is becoming more regular.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’ve been seeing an uptick in reports, not just from the Bay Area, but from around the country, of similar arrests,” Preciado said. “It’s definitely been a lot more consistently that we’ve heard of this happening.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Arrests of domestic travelers have become more common in the last year, as the Trump administration has significantly expanded Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations and budget over the last year and a half. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The first known airport arrest of a Santa Clara County resident at the San José Airport was in November, according to the county’s rapid response network spokesperson. Since then, the network has recorded a few arrests each month. In March, a mother and daughter who lived in Contra Costa County were detained at SFO, drawing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12082395/san-francisco-condemns-immigration-and-customs-enforcement-actions-at-sfo-airport\">broad condemnation\u003c/a> for the arrests in a sanctuary city.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The March detention sparked controversy again after \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/us/tsa-data-ice-deportation-san-francisco-airport.html\">\u003cem>New York Times\u003c/em>\u003c/a> reporting found that the Transportation Security Agency \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077581/bay-area-officials-raise-privacy-concerns-after-ice-arrest-at-sfo\">tipped off immigration officials\u003c/a> that the pair would be traveling after their names showed up on a flight’s passenger list. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The TSA has said that information sharing is routine and legal because the agency is a part of the Department of Homeland Security. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It is not new policy to share information between the agencies of the Department of Homeland Security,” TSA’s acting director Ha Nguyen McNeill said during a Congressional hearing in January. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We are supporting the mission of our colleagues at the Department of Homeland Security, and that includes enforcement of immigration laws,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Still, Milli Atkinson, director of the Immigrant Legal Defense Program at the San Francisco Bar Association, said the uptick in arrests indicates that TSA may be sharing passenger information more frequently than in the past. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEATING-87-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12067062\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEATING-87-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEATING-87-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEATING-87-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Passengers wait for their flight at San Francisco International Airport on Dec. 10, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What we’re seeing now is ICE showing up at airports because they have information about travelers, they have ID information,” she said. “It just appears that TSA is now cooperating with ICE at a level that we haven’t seen before.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the Santa Clara rapid response network said the coalition has seen airport arrests of people who have overstayed tourist visas, asylum seekers with open cases and permanent residents who may have had prior interaction with law enforcement that might show up on their record. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If people without legal status choose to travel, Preciado and other advocates suggest people consult an attorney who can provide a “full understanding of what risks they’re going to be undertaking.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now is not a safe time to be traveling through airports unless you’ve spoken to an attorney and you assess what risk there is,” Atkinson told KQED on Friday.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "it-wasnt-right-woman-arrested-by-ice-at-sfo-is-a-san-francisco-photographer-barista",
"title": "‘It Wasn’t Right’: Woman Arrested by ICE at SFO Is a San Francisco Photographer, Barista",
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"headTitle": "‘It Wasn’t Right’: Woman Arrested by ICE at SFO Is a San Francisco Photographer, Barista | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>A Ukrainian woman who has lived in the U.S. for 16 years was detained by immigration enforcement agents at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-international-airport\">San Francisco International Airport\u003c/a> on Wednesday after a flight home from Portland. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Iryna Gorb, 38, was arrested by plainclothes Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after landing in San Francisco, where she has lived and worked for more than a decade. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She is currently in detention at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073215/judge-orders-ice-to-provide-medical-care-in-largest-immigration-jail-in-california\">California City Detention Facility\u003c/a> in Kern County, according to Andy Eblin, who’s been a friend of Gorb’s for 13 years.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Videos of Gorb’s arrest circulated on social media Wednesday evening after Richmond City Councilmember Doria Robinson, who was traveling through the airport at the time, \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/DoriaforRichmond\">posted\u003c/a> footage of the incident on Facebook. She said two ICE agents approached Gorb in a store in Terminal 3.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01540_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066313\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01540_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01540_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01540_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Doria Robinson speaks at the West Contra Costa United School District rally at Marina Bay Park in Richmond on Dec. 5, 2025. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They put hands on her, pulled her down to the ground and we see the agent get on top of her,” Robinson said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the videos, Gorb can be heard yelling: “They’re f—n ICE, I’m from Ukraine, please, somebody.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She can be seen telling the agents to let her go, and heard saying, “You’re f—ing choking me.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Robinson said the officials did not respond to bystanders who asked them to identify themselves. They handcuffed Gorb to an airport wheelchair and rolled her away, she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It wasn’t right,” Robinson said. “It just felt in your heart and your soul that that was not right. That was not the way we should be doing things.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eblin said Gorb called him from an ICE field office in Stockton late Wednesday, and told him she had been detained and would be transferred to the California City Detention Facility. She asked him to tell her boss at Better Half Coffee in Nob Hill, where she is a head barista, and a few friends whom she was supposed to cat-sit for this week, that she would not be able to work. Eblin said Gorb also requested that he ask her neighbor to water her plants. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I can’t think of a better explanation of Iryna as a person than those concerns,” Eblin said. “She’s a good person that helped out a lot.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eblin said she was “not certain exactly” why she was detained, and as far as he knew, she hadn’t received any paperwork regarding her visa status. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Gorb entered the U.S. lawfully in 2010 under a visa that expired in May 2011. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“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,” the spokesperson said in a statement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eblin said Gorb moved to the U.S. to attend college in Boston before relocating to San Francisco 13 years ago. He said she’s an active part of the city’s coffee and art communities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"alignleft size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2667\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260724-SFO-ICE-02-KQED-2000x2667.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092619\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260724-SFO-ICE-02-KQED-2000x2667.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260724-SFO-ICE-02-KQED-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260724-SFO-ICE-02-KQED-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260724-SFO-ICE-02-KQED-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260724-SFO-ICE-02-KQED-scaled.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Iryna Gorb worked as a head barista at Better Half Coffee in Nob Hill and was an active member of San Francisco’s coffee community, according to friends. (Courtesy of Andy Eblin)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Gorb is a professional photographer and has run a vintage pop-up over the years, he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Her absence leaves a tremendous void in our cafe and in our community,” Better Half, the coffee shop where Gorb works, posted on social media Thursday. “She has been such an important part of this space, and her presence will be deeply missed.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eblin said that when he was able to connect with Gorb again Thursday evening, she had been transferred to California City and sounded “substantially rattled.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He said she’s expected to meet with an attorney on Friday afternoon. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our predominant concern at this point is getting her released on bond so she’s able to wait out any proceedings in a safe, dignified place and dignified setting, which California City is absolutely not,” Eblin told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to Milli Atkinson, director of the Immigrant Legal Defense Program at the San Francisco Bar Association, immigration advocates began seeing ICE detentions at airports outside of Customs and Border Protection last year anecdotally, but in the last month, they have become a “consistent tactic.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What we’re seeing now is ICE showing up at airports because they have information about travelers, they have ID information,” she said. “The Department of Homeland Security includes TSA, so it just appears that TSA is now cooperating with ICE at a level that we haven’t seen before.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>SFO spokesperson Doug Yakel said via email that ICE and DHS operate outside the jurisdiction of U.S. airports, and that SFO is “not involved in any decisions about their operations, nor are we notified when they occur.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Atkinson said for people who are not U.S. citizens, “now is not a safe time to be traveling through airports unless you’ve spoken to an attorney and you assess what risk there is.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Iryna Gorb, 38, was arrested by plainclothes Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after landing in San Francisco, where she has lived and worked for more than a decade. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She is currently in detention at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073215/judge-orders-ice-to-provide-medical-care-in-largest-immigration-jail-in-california\">California City Detention Facility\u003c/a> in Kern County, according to Andy Eblin, who’s been a friend of Gorb’s for 13 years.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Videos of Gorb’s arrest circulated on social media Wednesday evening after Richmond City Councilmember Doria Robinson, who was traveling through the airport at the time, \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/DoriaforRichmond\">posted\u003c/a> footage of the incident on Facebook. She said two ICE agents approached Gorb in a store in Terminal 3.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01540_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066313\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01540_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01540_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01540_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Doria Robinson speaks at the West Contra Costa United School District rally at Marina Bay Park in Richmond on Dec. 5, 2025.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Robinson said the officials did not respond to bystanders who asked them to identify themselves. They handcuffed Gorb to an airport wheelchair and rolled her away, she said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It wasn’t right,” Robinson said. “It just felt in your heart and your soul that that was not right. That was not the way we should be doing things.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Eblin said Gorb called him from an ICE field office in Stockton late Wednesday, and told him she had been detained and would be transferred to the California City Detention Facility. She asked him to tell her boss at Better Half Coffee in Nob Hill, where she is a head barista, and a few friends whom she was supposed to cat-sit for this week, that she would not be able to work. Eblin said Gorb also requested that he ask her neighbor to water her plants. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I can’t think of a better explanation of Iryna as a person than those concerns,” Eblin said. “She’s a good person that helped out a lot.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Eblin said she was “not certain exactly” why she was detained, and as far as he knew, she hadn’t received any paperwork regarding her visa status. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Gorb entered the U.S. lawfully in 2010 under a visa that expired in May 2011. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“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,” the spokesperson said in a statement. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“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,” the spokesperson said in a statement. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Eblin said Gorb moved to the U.S. to attend college in Boston before relocating to San Francisco 13 years ago. He said she’s an active part of the city’s coffee and art communities. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Eblin said Gorb moved to the U.S. to attend college in Boston before relocating to San Francisco 13 years ago. He said she’s an active part of the city’s coffee and art communities. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Her absence leaves a tremendous void in our cafe and in our community,” Better Half, the coffee shop where Gorb works, posted on social media Thursday. “She has been such an important part of this space, and her presence will be deeply missed.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Our predominant concern at this point is getting her released on bond so she’s able to wait out any proceedings in a safe, dignified place and dignified setting, which California City is absolutely not,” Eblin told KQED.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>According to Milli Atkinson, director of the Immigrant Legal Defense Program at the San Francisco Bar Association, immigration advocates began seeing ICE detentions at airports outside of Customs and Border Protection last year anecdotally, but in the last month, they have become a “consistent tactic.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“What we’re seeing now is ICE showing up at airports because they have information about travelers, they have ID information,” she said. “The Department of Homeland Security includes TSA, so it just appears that TSA is now cooperating with ICE at a level that we haven’t seen before.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>SFO spokesperson Doug Yakel said via email that ICE and DHS operate outside the jurisdiction of U.S. airports, and that SFO is “not involved in any decisions about their operations, nor are we notified when they occur.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "A friend coordinating her legal aid said the 38-year-old Ukrainian immigrant is in a federal immigration detention facility in California City. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A Ukrainian woman who has lived in the U.S. for 16 years was detained by immigration enforcement agents at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-international-airport\">San Francisco International Airport\u003c/a> on Wednesday after a flight home from Portland. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Iryna Gorb, 38, was arrested by plainclothes Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after landing in San Francisco, where she has lived and worked for more than a decade. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She is currently in detention at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073215/judge-orders-ice-to-provide-medical-care-in-largest-immigration-jail-in-california\">California City Detention Facility\u003c/a> in Kern County, according to Andy Eblin, who’s been a friend of Gorb’s for 13 years.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Videos of Gorb’s arrest circulated on social media Wednesday evening after Richmond City Councilmember Doria Robinson, who was traveling through the airport at the time, \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/DoriaforRichmond\">posted\u003c/a> footage of the incident on Facebook. She said two ICE agents approached Gorb in a store in Terminal 3.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01540_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066313\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01540_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01540_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01540_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Doria Robinson speaks at the West Contra Costa United School District rally at Marina Bay Park in Richmond on Dec. 5, 2025. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They put hands on her, pulled her down to the ground and we see the agent get on top of her,” Robinson said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the videos, Gorb can be heard yelling: “They’re f—n ICE, I’m from Ukraine, please, somebody.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She can be seen telling the agents to let her go, and heard saying, “You’re f—ing choking me.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Robinson said the officials did not respond to bystanders who asked them to identify themselves. They handcuffed Gorb to an airport wheelchair and rolled her away, she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It wasn’t right,” Robinson said. “It just felt in your heart and your soul that that was not right. That was not the way we should be doing things.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eblin said Gorb called him from an ICE field office in Stockton late Wednesday, and told him she had been detained and would be transferred to the California City Detention Facility. She asked him to tell her boss at Better Half Coffee in Nob Hill, where she is a head barista, and a few friends whom she was supposed to cat-sit for this week, that she would not be able to work. Eblin said Gorb also requested that he ask her neighbor to water her plants. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I can’t think of a better explanation of Iryna as a person than those concerns,” Eblin said. “She’s a good person that helped out a lot.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eblin said she was “not certain exactly” why she was detained, and as far as he knew, she hadn’t received any paperwork regarding her visa status. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Gorb entered the U.S. lawfully in 2010 under a visa that expired in May 2011. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“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,” the spokesperson said in a statement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eblin said Gorb moved to the U.S. to attend college in Boston before relocating to San Francisco 13 years ago. He said she’s an active part of the city’s coffee and art communities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"alignleft size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2667\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260724-SFO-ICE-02-KQED-2000x2667.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092619\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260724-SFO-ICE-02-KQED-2000x2667.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260724-SFO-ICE-02-KQED-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260724-SFO-ICE-02-KQED-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260724-SFO-ICE-02-KQED-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260724-SFO-ICE-02-KQED-scaled.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Iryna Gorb worked as a head barista at Better Half Coffee in Nob Hill and was an active member of San Francisco’s coffee community, according to friends. (Courtesy of Andy Eblin)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Gorb is a professional photographer and has run a vintage pop-up over the years, he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Her absence leaves a tremendous void in our cafe and in our community,” Better Half, the coffee shop where Gorb works, posted on social media Thursday. “She has been such an important part of this space, and her presence will be deeply missed.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eblin said that when he was able to connect with Gorb again Thursday evening, she had been transferred to California City and sounded “substantially rattled.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He said she’s expected to meet with an attorney on Friday afternoon. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our predominant concern at this point is getting her released on bond so she’s able to wait out any proceedings in a safe, dignified place and dignified setting, which California City is absolutely not,” Eblin told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to Milli Atkinson, director of the Immigrant Legal Defense Program at the San Francisco Bar Association, immigration advocates began seeing ICE detentions at airports outside of Customs and Border Protection last year anecdotally, but in the last month, they have become a “consistent tactic.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What we’re seeing now is ICE showing up at airports because they have information about travelers, they have ID information,” she said. “The Department of Homeland Security includes TSA, so it just appears that TSA is now cooperating with ICE at a level that we haven’t seen before.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>SFO spokesperson Doug Yakel said via email that ICE and DHS operate outside the jurisdiction of U.S. airports, and that SFO is “not involved in any decisions about their operations, nor are we notified when they occur.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Atkinson said for people who are not U.S. citizens, “now is not a safe time to be traveling through airports unless you’ve spoken to an attorney and you assess what risk there is.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "sfo-united-airlines-employee-allegedly-threatens-to-call-ice-on-us-citizen",
"title": "SFO United Airlines Employee Allegedly Threatens to Call ICE on US Citizen",
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"headTitle": "SFO United Airlines Employee Allegedly Threatens to Call ICE on US Citizen | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>A Bay Area resident accused a United Airlines employee of threatening to call federal immigration authorities after a confrontation at the airline’s counter at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-international-airport\">San Francisco International Airport\u003c/a> on Tuesday, prompting an internal probe by the airline.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The incident was captured on video by the passenger, San Ramon business owner Julio Varela, and widely \u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/unitedairlines/comments/1uynxya/new_video_follow_up_with_racist_united_airlines/\">circulated on Reddit\u003c/a>. In the footage, a person who appears to be a United employee is seen recording Varela with a cellphone before stating: “Maybe we should call ICE on you. You’re not acting like a citizen.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Varela, a Mexican American and naturalized United States citizen, was traveling to Montreal with his wife and two daughters. KQED has reviewed Varela’s ticket and videos of the encounter and was able to confirm he was at the airport at that time. He told KQED the employee’s conduct was discriminatory and unprovoked. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“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,” Varela said on Friday. “For her, especially with what’s going on right now in America … to say that to a minority, especially a Hispanic person, I think it’s really, really hateful and it’s really racist.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHMdIwkuegQ\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>United Airlines declined to answer specific questions regarding the employee’s conduct or employment status.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re looking into the interaction in this video, but don’t have anything additional to share at this time,” a United media relations spokesperson told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Varela said he, his wife and two of their daughters arrived at SFO around 8:15 a.m. on Tuesday for an 11:40 a.m. flight to Montreal, Canada, where his wife was attending a work conference. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Weeks prior, he said, his wife had accidentally entered their daughter’s middle name in the last name field when booking through United for a flight operated by Air Canada. Varela said they spent roughly 15 hours on the phone in the two weeks leading up to the trip trying to fix the error, and were bounced repeatedly between the two airlines’ customer service lines.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/United-Airlines.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12077958\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/United-Airlines.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/United-Airlines-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Passengers wait for their flights inside San Francisco International Airport on Dec. 10, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the airport, the family spent nearly three hours walking back and forth between the United and Air Canada counters, he said. According to Varela, Air Canada agents were trying to help, but needed United to release the ticket in their system. Four minutes before the family was supposed to board, he said, an Air Canada supervisor walked over to the United counter to plead the family’s case.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Varela said the United employee he spoke with was dismissive, allegedly telling the Air Canada supervisor that she didn’t care if the family missed their flight.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“She said, ‘I’m not dealing with it, it ain’t my problem,’” Varela said. “That is when I was like, man, you’re so lazy, so rude. And she was like, ‘Why are you calling me this?’ I go, ‘Yeah, what’s your name?’ That’s when I pulled out my phone.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the footage, the United employee — wearing a badge identifying her as an International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union steward — refused to give her name and began recording Varela with her own phone.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When she reemerges from a back room, Varela again asks for her name.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That was when she could be heard making the comment about involving U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That’s when I lost my s—,” Varela said. “I was like, ‘Are you serious? Call ICE on me right now.’”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Varela said that, as the argument escalated, the employee stepped out from behind the counter and shoved his hand away, causing him to stop the recording. His 14-year-old daughter, standing next to him, was crying, he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The family eventually made their flight after another United representative stepped in to finalize the ticket release.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We are aware of a video being circulated online, but we have no verification of its authenticity or the full context,” the IAM Union said in a statement. “As depicted, the comments made in the video do not reflect the views or values of the IAM Union. Any potential matters arising from this incident will be handled through the appropriate processes established by the collective bargaining agreement.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>SFO officials declined to comment, directing inquiries to United Airlines.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The incident comes amid mounting fear among travelers of federal immigration enforcement at transit hubs. On July 13, video footage captured plainclothes ICE \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/video/plainclothes-ice-officers-attempt-to-detain-man-las-vegas-airport/\">agents tackling and attempting to handcuff\u003c/a> a 57-year-old man at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In March, plainclothes ICE agents \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077292/is-ice-at-sfo-heres-what-we-know-about-videos-of-woman-being-forcefully-detained\">detained Angelina Lopez-Jimenez\u003c/a>, a Contra Costa County mother and her 9-year-old daughter at SFO’s Terminal 3. The two were deported to Guatemala within 48 hours. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260209-SFOSLEEPING-27-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12073262\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260209-SFOSLEEPING-27-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260209-SFOSLEEPING-27-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260209-SFOSLEEPING-27-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A person sits on a bench at San Francisco International Airport on Feb. 9, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That arrest, which was prompted by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077581/bay-area-officials-raise-privacy-concerns-after-ice-arrest-at-sfo\">data-sharing between the Transportation Security Administration and ICE\u003c/a>, drew intense backlash from civil rights advocates and prompted the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12082395/san-francisco-condemns-immigration-and-customs-enforcement-actions-at-sfo-airport\">San Francisco Board of Supervisors\u003c/a> to pass a resolution condemning federal immigration enforcement at the airport.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though San Francisco is a sanctuary city, local policies cannot physically bar federal ICE agents from operating within the airport.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Every time I fly, I’m like, ‘Are they going to let me in?’” Varela said. “You could be an American citizen born here. It doesn’t matter.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Varela said that he heard through a personal connection at the airline that the employee had been suspended pending an investigation, though United did not confirm this.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The incident, he said, has cast a shadow over his family’s vacation, and he is currently considering seeking legal counsel regarding a potential civil rights violation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You can’t normalize racism. You can’t treat racists with empathy,” Varela said. “I definitely hope she gets fired.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A Bay Area resident accused a United Airlines employee of threatening to call federal immigration authorities after a confrontation at the airline’s counter at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-international-airport\">San Francisco International Airport\u003c/a> on Tuesday, prompting an internal probe by the airline.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The incident was captured on video by the passenger, San Ramon business owner Julio Varela, and widely \u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/unitedairlines/comments/1uynxya/new_video_follow_up_with_racist_united_airlines/\">circulated on Reddit\u003c/a>. In the footage, a person who appears to be a United employee is seen recording Varela with a cellphone before stating: “Maybe we should call ICE on you. You’re not acting like a citizen.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Varela, a Mexican American and naturalized United States citizen, was traveling to Montreal with his wife and two daughters. KQED has reviewed Varela’s ticket and videos of the encounter and was able to confirm he was at the airport at that time. He told KQED the employee’s conduct was discriminatory and unprovoked. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Varela, a Mexican American and naturalized United States citizen, was traveling to Montreal with his wife and two daughters. KQED has reviewed Varela’s ticket and videos of the encounter and was able to confirm he was at the airport at that time. He told KQED the employee’s conduct was discriminatory and unprovoked. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“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,” Varela said on Friday. “For her, especially with what’s going on right now in America … to say that to a minority, especially a Hispanic person, I think it’s really, really hateful and it’s really racist.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“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,” Varela said on Friday. “For her, especially with what’s going on right now in America … to say that to a minority, especially a Hispanic person, I think it’s really, really hateful and it’s really racist.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>United Airlines declined to answer specific questions regarding the employee’s conduct or employment status.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’re looking into the interaction in this video, but don’t have anything additional to share at this time,” a United media relations spokesperson told KQED.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Varela said he, his wife and two of their daughters arrived at SFO around 8:15 a.m. on Tuesday for an 11:40 a.m. flight to Montreal, Canada, where his wife was attending a work conference. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Varela said he, his wife and two of their daughters arrived at SFO around 8:15 a.m. on Tuesday for an 11:40 a.m. flight to Montreal, Canada, where his wife was attending a work conference. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Weeks prior, he said, his wife had accidentally entered their daughter’s middle name in the last name field when booking through United for a flight operated by Air Canada. Varela said they spent roughly 15 hours on the phone in the two weeks leading up to the trip trying to fix the error, and were bounced repeatedly between the two airlines’ customer service lines.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Weeks prior, he said, his wife had accidentally entered their daughter’s middle name in the last name field when booking through United for a flight operated by Air Canada. Varela said they spent roughly 15 hours on the phone in the two weeks leading up to the trip trying to fix the error, and were bounced repeatedly between the two airlines’ customer service lines.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At the airport, the family spent nearly three hours walking back and forth between the United and Air Canada counters, he said. According to Varela, Air Canada agents were trying to help, but needed United to release the ticket in their system. Four minutes before the family was supposed to board, he said, an Air Canada supervisor walked over to the United counter to plead the family’s case.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>At the airport, the family spent nearly three hours walking back and forth between the United and Air Canada counters, he said. According to Varela, Air Canada agents were trying to help, but needed United to release the ticket in their system. Four minutes before the family was supposed to board, he said, an Air Canada supervisor walked over to the United counter to plead the family’s case.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Varela said the United employee he spoke with was dismissive, allegedly telling the Air Canada supervisor that she didn’t care if the family missed their flight.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“She said, ‘I’m not dealing with it, it ain’t my problem,’” Varela said. “That is when I was like, man, you’re so lazy, so rude. And she was like, ‘Why are you calling me this?’ I go, ‘Yeah, what’s your name?’ That’s when I pulled out my phone.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“She said, ‘I’m not dealing with it, it ain’t my problem,’” Varela said. “That is when I was like, man, you’re so lazy, so rude. And she was like, ‘Why are you calling me this?’ I go, ‘Yeah, what’s your name?’ That’s when I pulled out my phone.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the footage, the United employee — wearing a badge identifying her as an International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union steward — refused to give her name and began recording Varela with her own phone.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When she reemerges from a back room, Varela again asks for her name.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That was when she could be heard making the comment about involving U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“That’s when I lost my s—,” Varela said. “I was like, ‘Are you serious? Call ICE on me right now.’”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Varela said that, as the argument escalated, the employee stepped out from behind the counter and shoved his hand away, causing him to stop the recording. His 14-year-old daughter, standing next to him, was crying, he said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The family eventually made their flight after another United representative stepped in to finalize the ticket release.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We are aware of a video being circulated online, but we have no verification of its authenticity or the full context,” the IAM Union said in a statement. “As depicted, the comments made in the video do not reflect the views or values of the IAM Union. Any potential matters arising from this incident will be handled through the appropriate processes established by the collective bargaining agreement.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We are aware of a video being circulated online, but we have no verification of its authenticity or the full context,” the IAM Union said in a statement. “As depicted, the comments made in the video do not reflect the views or values of the IAM Union. Any potential matters arising from this incident will be handled through the appropriate processes established by the collective bargaining agreement.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>SFO officials declined to comment, directing inquiries to United Airlines.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The incident comes amid mounting fear among travelers of federal immigration enforcement at transit hubs. On July 13, video footage captured plainclothes ICE \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/video/plainclothes-ice-officers-attempt-to-detain-man-las-vegas-airport/\">agents tackling and attempting to handcuff\u003c/a> a 57-year-old man at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The incident comes amid mounting fear among travelers of federal immigration enforcement at transit hubs. On July 13, video footage captured plainclothes ICE \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/video/plainclothes-ice-officers-attempt-to-detain-man-las-vegas-airport/\">agents tackling and attempting to handcuff\u003c/a> a 57-year-old man at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In March, plainclothes ICE agents \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077292/is-ice-at-sfo-heres-what-we-know-about-videos-of-woman-being-forcefully-detained\">detained Angelina Lopez-Jimenez\u003c/a>, a Contra Costa County mother and her 9-year-old daughter at SFO’s Terminal 3. The two were deported to Guatemala within 48 hours. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In March, plainclothes ICE agents \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077292/is-ice-at-sfo-heres-what-we-know-about-videos-of-woman-being-forcefully-detained\">detained Angelina Lopez-Jimenez\u003c/a>, a Contra Costa County mother and her 9-year-old daughter at SFO’s Terminal 3. The two were deported to Guatemala within 48 hours. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Though San Francisco is a sanctuary city, local policies cannot physically bar federal ICE agents from operating within the airport.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Every time I fly, I’m like, ‘Are they going to let me in?’” Varela said. “You could be an American citizen born here. It doesn’t matter.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Varela said that he heard through a personal connection at the airline that the employee had been suspended pending an investigation, though United did not confirm this.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The incident, he said, has cast a shadow over his family’s vacation, and he is currently considering seeking legal counsel regarding a potential civil rights violation. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“You can’t normalize racism. You can’t treat racists with empathy,” Varela said. “I definitely hope she gets fired.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "A ticketing mix-up ahead of a family vacation to Canada escalated into a viral confrontation after a United Airlines worker allegedly told a Mexican-American passenger, “Maybe we should call ICE on you. You’re not acting like a citizen.”",
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"title": "SFO United Airlines Employee Allegedly Threatens to Call ICE on US Citizen | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A Bay Area resident accused a United Airlines employee of threatening to call federal immigration authorities after a confrontation at the airline’s counter at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-international-airport\">San Francisco International Airport\u003c/a> on Tuesday, prompting an internal probe by the airline.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The incident was captured on video by the passenger, San Ramon business owner Julio Varela, and widely \u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/unitedairlines/comments/1uynxya/new_video_follow_up_with_racist_united_airlines/\">circulated on Reddit\u003c/a>. In the footage, a person who appears to be a United employee is seen recording Varela with a cellphone before stating: “Maybe we should call ICE on you. You’re not acting like a citizen.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Varela, a Mexican American and naturalized United States citizen, was traveling to Montreal with his wife and two daughters. KQED has reviewed Varela’s ticket and videos of the encounter and was able to confirm he was at the airport at that time. He told KQED the employee’s conduct was discriminatory and unprovoked. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“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,” Varela said on Friday. “For her, especially with what’s going on right now in America … to say that to a minority, especially a Hispanic person, I think it’s really, really hateful and it’s really racist.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/HHMdIwkuegQ'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/HHMdIwkuegQ'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>United Airlines declined to answer specific questions regarding the employee’s conduct or employment status.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re looking into the interaction in this video, but don’t have anything additional to share at this time,” a United media relations spokesperson told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Varela said he, his wife and two of their daughters arrived at SFO around 8:15 a.m. on Tuesday for an 11:40 a.m. flight to Montreal, Canada, where his wife was attending a work conference. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Weeks prior, he said, his wife had accidentally entered their daughter’s middle name in the last name field when booking through United for a flight operated by Air Canada. Varela said they spent roughly 15 hours on the phone in the two weeks leading up to the trip trying to fix the error, and were bounced repeatedly between the two airlines’ customer service lines.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/United-Airlines.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12077958\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/United-Airlines.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/United-Airlines-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Passengers wait for their flights inside San Francisco International Airport on Dec. 10, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the airport, the family spent nearly three hours walking back and forth between the United and Air Canada counters, he said. According to Varela, Air Canada agents were trying to help, but needed United to release the ticket in their system. Four minutes before the family was supposed to board, he said, an Air Canada supervisor walked over to the United counter to plead the family’s case.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Varela said the United employee he spoke with was dismissive, allegedly telling the Air Canada supervisor that she didn’t care if the family missed their flight.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“She said, ‘I’m not dealing with it, it ain’t my problem,’” Varela said. “That is when I was like, man, you’re so lazy, so rude. And she was like, ‘Why are you calling me this?’ I go, ‘Yeah, what’s your name?’ That’s when I pulled out my phone.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the footage, the United employee — wearing a badge identifying her as an International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union steward — refused to give her name and began recording Varela with her own phone.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When she reemerges from a back room, Varela again asks for her name.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That was when she could be heard making the comment about involving U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That’s when I lost my s—,” Varela said. “I was like, ‘Are you serious? Call ICE on me right now.’”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Varela said that, as the argument escalated, the employee stepped out from behind the counter and shoved his hand away, causing him to stop the recording. His 14-year-old daughter, standing next to him, was crying, he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The family eventually made their flight after another United representative stepped in to finalize the ticket release.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We are aware of a video being circulated online, but we have no verification of its authenticity or the full context,” the IAM Union said in a statement. “As depicted, the comments made in the video do not reflect the views or values of the IAM Union. Any potential matters arising from this incident will be handled through the appropriate processes established by the collective bargaining agreement.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>SFO officials declined to comment, directing inquiries to United Airlines.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The incident comes amid mounting fear among travelers of federal immigration enforcement at transit hubs. On July 13, video footage captured plainclothes ICE \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/video/plainclothes-ice-officers-attempt-to-detain-man-las-vegas-airport/\">agents tackling and attempting to handcuff\u003c/a> a 57-year-old man at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In March, plainclothes ICE agents \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077292/is-ice-at-sfo-heres-what-we-know-about-videos-of-woman-being-forcefully-detained\">detained Angelina Lopez-Jimenez\u003c/a>, a Contra Costa County mother and her 9-year-old daughter at SFO’s Terminal 3. The two were deported to Guatemala within 48 hours. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260209-SFOSLEEPING-27-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12073262\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260209-SFOSLEEPING-27-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260209-SFOSLEEPING-27-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260209-SFOSLEEPING-27-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A person sits on a bench at San Francisco International Airport on Feb. 9, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That arrest, which was prompted by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077581/bay-area-officials-raise-privacy-concerns-after-ice-arrest-at-sfo\">data-sharing between the Transportation Security Administration and ICE\u003c/a>, drew intense backlash from civil rights advocates and prompted the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12082395/san-francisco-condemns-immigration-and-customs-enforcement-actions-at-sfo-airport\">San Francisco Board of Supervisors\u003c/a> to pass a resolution condemning federal immigration enforcement at the airport.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though San Francisco is a sanctuary city, local policies cannot physically bar federal ICE agents from operating within the airport.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Every time I fly, I’m like, ‘Are they going to let me in?’” Varela said. “You could be an American citizen born here. It doesn’t matter.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Varela said that he heard through a personal connection at the airline that the employee had been suspended pending an investigation, though United did not confirm this.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The incident, he said, has cast a shadow over his family’s vacation, and he is currently considering seeking legal counsel regarding a potential civil rights violation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You can’t normalize racism. You can’t treat racists with empathy,” Varela said. “I definitely hope she gets fired.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "actor-and-comedian-sues-san-mateo-county-alleging-abuse-and-unlawful-detainment",
"title": "Actor and Comedian Sues San Mateo County, Alleging Abuse and Unlawful Detainment",
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"content": "\u003cp>When Ahmed Ahmed arrived at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sfo\">San Francisco International Airport\u003c/a> last September, after a four-monthlong global tour, he was eager to take a hot shower and go to sleep.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The actor and comedian’s 16-hour flight had been delayed, and his connecting flight to Los Angeles had already departed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>United Airlines issued free hotel vouchers to passengers who had missed their connections, including Ahmed. But when he tried to check in at the hotel with his voucher, he was unable to get a room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At that point, Ahmed returned to the airport and sought assistance from a United employee, who he said was unhelpful and dismissive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ The comedian in me said, ‘You know, you work in customer service, not customer attitude,’ and she didn’t like that,” Ahmed told KQED. The employee threatened to call the police. “I replied with, ‘For what? Being awesome?’ And then she snapped.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said San Francisco Police arrested him minutes later and took him to Maguire Correctional Facility in Redwood City. Upon his arrival, Ahmed continued, several San Mateo County deputies were there waiting for him, and proceeded to physically beat and “torture” him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Ahmed is \u003ca href=\"https://odyportal-ext.sanmateocourt.org/Portal-External/DocumentViewer/DownloadDocumentFile/Download?d=5FCA895C15A411F5DC89AE0A093E2E76&c=7C5E7DE302ECD5EE0F85AEACDF8E1BCC&l=FBD47E265B0469242043312D479CDD22&cn=3BCA5C3F9F0BD275F3FCBD95092474E0&fileName=26-CIV-04766%20-%20Complaint%20AHMEDpdf&docTypeId=3&isVersionId=False\">suing\u003c/a> San Mateo County and the former county sheriff, claiming that he sustained physical and psychological damage during his 21 hours in custody.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12067064\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12067064\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEATING-91-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEATING-91-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEATING-91-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEATING-91-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The International Terminal at San Francisco International Airport on Dec. 10, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ahmed told KQED he was “completely compliant” — but was left with disabling injuries, including broken bones and nerve damage. He said that during the assault, deputies attempted to strip him from the waist down, then strapped him to a chair and pulled a hood over his head. He said he was denied food, water and the opportunity to use a bathroom during this time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Later into the night, Ahmed recounted, he began yelling aloud, talking about who he was.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I said, ‘Hey, my name’s Ahmed Ahmed. I’m an international professional stand-up comedian. I’ve been in blockbuster movies, TV shows, multiple comedy specials. … If you don’t let me out of this chair right now, I’m going to blow the whistle on everybody in this building.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only then, he said, was he unstrapped, but he remained in custody for several hours.[aside postID=news_12087535 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/GettyImages-2242752228-scaled-e1769196948121.jpg']He said that at around 9:30 p.m. on the following day, he was released.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office wrote that it is “aware of the complaint and takes allegations of this magnitude extremely seriously.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The office said that it conducted an internal investigation in 2025, and that “the evidence disputes Mr. Ahmed’s version of events,” but it did not provide additional details.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The statement added that the office was not involved with the arrest at SFO, and that Ahmed was held for public intoxication. But Ahmed said he was never informed of his charges, even after his release, and alleged that he was not allowed to speak with a lawyer while detained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ahmed said that the complaint, filed June 15, was the first time he publicly addressed the attack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He also added that one of the first people he discussed it with afterward was longtime friend Tom Morello, the lead singer and guitarist of Rage Against the Machine. Morello connected him to attorney Nicholas Rowley, a founding partner of the law firm Trial Lawyers for Justice, who is now representing Ahmed in his lawsuit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After speaking with Rowley, Ahmed said, “I felt saved.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rowley told KQED that he decided to take on Ahmed as a client to prevent a similar incident from happening to anyone else. He added that Ahmed’s status as a public figure “might have saved his life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They picked a fight with the wrong guy,” Rowley told KQED. “He’s somebody who is well-known and well-connected.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12067757\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12067757\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251210-SFOEating-24-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251210-SFOEating-24-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251210-SFOEating-24-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251210-SFOEating-24-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Passengers walk past a flight board in Harvey Milk Terminal 1 at San Francisco International Airport on Dec. 10, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We’re going to find out who the members of this law enforcement gang are,” Rowley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rowley and Ahmed both believe Ahmed was targeted for his ethnicity. Although he was born in Egypt, Ahmed was raised in Riverside, California, and is an American citizen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wasn’t committing a crime. I didn’t threaten anybody. I didn’t hit anybody. I wasn’t yelling and screaming. I wasn’t resisting,” Ahmed said. ”I hate to throw out the race card, but being an Arab Muslim in America these days, fricking sucks, man.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since 9/11, he said he’s been “arrested, detained, and profiled probably over 100 times — always at the airport.“ But Ahmed said he had never been physically beaten like this before while traveling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the arrest, he’s felt physically and spiritually “broken.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I lost friends, I lost work, I lost my girlfriend,” Ahmed said. “Psychologically, it just messed me up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But performing, he added, has been his “saving grace.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The happiest I’ve ever been in the past eight months is when I’m on stage making people laugh,” Ahmed said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"title": "Actor and Comedian Sues San Mateo County, Alleging Abuse and Unlawful Detainment | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When Ahmed Ahmed arrived at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sfo\">San Francisco International Airport\u003c/a> last September, after a four-monthlong global tour, he was eager to take a hot shower and go to sleep.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The actor and comedian’s 16-hour flight had been delayed, and his connecting flight to Los Angeles had already departed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>United Airlines issued free hotel vouchers to passengers who had missed their connections, including Ahmed. But when he tried to check in at the hotel with his voucher, he was unable to get a room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At that point, Ahmed returned to the airport and sought assistance from a United employee, who he said was unhelpful and dismissive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ The comedian in me said, ‘You know, you work in customer service, not customer attitude,’ and she didn’t like that,” Ahmed told KQED. The employee threatened to call the police. “I replied with, ‘For what? Being awesome?’ And then she snapped.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said San Francisco Police arrested him minutes later and took him to Maguire Correctional Facility in Redwood City. Upon his arrival, Ahmed continued, several San Mateo County deputies were there waiting for him, and proceeded to physically beat and “torture” him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Ahmed is \u003ca href=\"https://odyportal-ext.sanmateocourt.org/Portal-External/DocumentViewer/DownloadDocumentFile/Download?d=5FCA895C15A411F5DC89AE0A093E2E76&c=7C5E7DE302ECD5EE0F85AEACDF8E1BCC&l=FBD47E265B0469242043312D479CDD22&cn=3BCA5C3F9F0BD275F3FCBD95092474E0&fileName=26-CIV-04766%20-%20Complaint%20AHMEDpdf&docTypeId=3&isVersionId=False\">suing\u003c/a> San Mateo County and the former county sheriff, claiming that he sustained physical and psychological damage during his 21 hours in custody.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12067064\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12067064\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEATING-91-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEATING-91-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEATING-91-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEATING-91-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The International Terminal at San Francisco International Airport on Dec. 10, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ahmed told KQED he was “completely compliant” — but was left with disabling injuries, including broken bones and nerve damage. He said that during the assault, deputies attempted to strip him from the waist down, then strapped him to a chair and pulled a hood over his head. He said he was denied food, water and the opportunity to use a bathroom during this time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Later into the night, Ahmed recounted, he began yelling aloud, talking about who he was.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I said, ‘Hey, my name’s Ahmed Ahmed. I’m an international professional stand-up comedian. I’ve been in blockbuster movies, TV shows, multiple comedy specials. … If you don’t let me out of this chair right now, I’m going to blow the whistle on everybody in this building.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only then, he said, was he unstrapped, but he remained in custody for several hours.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>He said that at around 9:30 p.m. on the following day, he was released.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office wrote that it is “aware of the complaint and takes allegations of this magnitude extremely seriously.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The office said that it conducted an internal investigation in 2025, and that “the evidence disputes Mr. Ahmed’s version of events,” but it did not provide additional details.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The statement added that the office was not involved with the arrest at SFO, and that Ahmed was held for public intoxication. But Ahmed said he was never informed of his charges, even after his release, and alleged that he was not allowed to speak with a lawyer while detained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ahmed said that the complaint, filed June 15, was the first time he publicly addressed the attack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He also added that one of the first people he discussed it with afterward was longtime friend Tom Morello, the lead singer and guitarist of Rage Against the Machine. Morello connected him to attorney Nicholas Rowley, a founding partner of the law firm Trial Lawyers for Justice, who is now representing Ahmed in his lawsuit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After speaking with Rowley, Ahmed said, “I felt saved.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rowley told KQED that he decided to take on Ahmed as a client to prevent a similar incident from happening to anyone else. He added that Ahmed’s status as a public figure “might have saved his life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They picked a fight with the wrong guy,” Rowley told KQED. “He’s somebody who is well-known and well-connected.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12067757\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12067757\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251210-SFOEating-24-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251210-SFOEating-24-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251210-SFOEating-24-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251210-SFOEating-24-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Passengers walk past a flight board in Harvey Milk Terminal 1 at San Francisco International Airport on Dec. 10, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We’re going to find out who the members of this law enforcement gang are,” Rowley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rowley and Ahmed both believe Ahmed was targeted for his ethnicity. Although he was born in Egypt, Ahmed was raised in Riverside, California, and is an American citizen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wasn’t committing a crime. I didn’t threaten anybody. I didn’t hit anybody. I wasn’t yelling and screaming. I wasn’t resisting,” Ahmed said. ”I hate to throw out the race card, but being an Arab Muslim in America these days, fricking sucks, man.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since 9/11, he said he’s been “arrested, detained, and profiled probably over 100 times — always at the airport.“ But Ahmed said he had never been physically beaten like this before while traveling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the arrest, he’s felt physically and spiritually “broken.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I lost friends, I lost work, I lost my girlfriend,” Ahmed said. “Psychologically, it just messed me up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But performing, he added, has been his “saving grace.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The happiest I’ve ever been in the past eight months is when I’m on stage making people laugh,” Ahmed said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Santa Clara Resident Infected With Measles Traveled Through SFO, Health Officials Say",
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"content": "\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/santa-clara-county\">Santa Clara County\u003c/a> resident infected with measles may have exposed others while contagious on Monday, Santa Clara County public health officials said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Health officials say the resident was likely exposed during international travel. On June 8, they traveled through the San Francisco International Airport terminal between 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. that same day, the resident visited Trader Joe’s at 635 Coleman Ave. and the International Halal Market on 960 E Santa Clara St. in San Jose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Individuals who traveled to the locations at the same time could be at risk of developing the disease between seven and 10 days after exposure, county public health officials warned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Because of our very high vaccination rates and folks who had measles decades ago before there was a vaccine, we are very well protected as a community here in the Bay Area,” Dr. Sarah Rudman, the county’s public health officer, said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The possible exposure comes as the county hosts thousands of soccer fans for the World Cup tournament, which kicked off locally on Saturday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of Sunday afternoon, the state Department of Public Health dashboard reported 49 confirmed measles cases, though that number doesn’t appear to include Santa Clara’s latest case. The number of state-confirmed cases has sat steady since at least mid-May.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If confirmed by CDPH, Santa Clara’s case would be the 50th this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12041432\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12041432\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1065\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A measles advisory is shown tacked to a bulletin board outside Gaines County Courthouse in Seminole, Texas, on April 9, 2025. \u003ccite>(Brandon Bell/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>State health officials reported half that — 25 confirmed cases — across the state last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is becoming more and more common,” Rudman said in a media availability on Saturday. “A year ago, I would have said this is incredibly rare. And now this is already our second case of the year.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In February, the county reported its first measles case of the year when a vaccinated resident returned from international travel. Before 2025, the county hadn’t recorded a measles case since 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069161/californias-first-measles-case-of-2026-appears-to-be-unvaccinated-patient-in-bay-area\">recorded its highest number \u003c/a>of cases in 2025, 25 years after the disease was declared eliminated.[aside postID=news_12080063 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/GettyImages-2242752228-scaled-e1769196948121.jpg']California’s numbers also rose last year, state data shows. Since 2023, measles cases have increased every year. The last time cases surpassed current 2026 numbers was in 2019, when 72 cases \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/2022-VPD-Annual-Report.aspx\">were reported\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rudman said that the county is working with federal and state officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state Department of Public Health to identify any people who may have been exposed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Measles symptoms include a runny nose, fever, cough and rash, according \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/measles/signs-symptoms/\">to the CDC\u003c/a>. The first symptoms can appear up to two weeks after infection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to experience complications because of the disease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Santa Clara health officials said that people should monitor for symptoms for 21 days after the potential exposure and not attend large gatherings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Given the number of large international events currently happening throughout the Bay Area, it is especially important that any unvaccinated, exposed individual quarantines to the best of their ability and avoids contact with others if feeling unwell,” the Department said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If symptoms do appear, health officials advise contacting your doctor right away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/santa-clara-county\">Santa Clara County\u003c/a> resident infected with measles may have exposed others while contagious on Monday, Santa Clara County public health officials said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Health officials say the resident was likely exposed during international travel. On June 8, they traveled through the San Francisco International Airport terminal between 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. that same day, the resident visited Trader Joe’s at 635 Coleman Ave. and the International Halal Market on 960 E Santa Clara St. in San Jose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Individuals who traveled to the locations at the same time could be at risk of developing the disease between seven and 10 days after exposure, county public health officials warned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Because of our very high vaccination rates and folks who had measles decades ago before there was a vaccine, we are very well protected as a community here in the Bay Area,” Dr. Sarah Rudman, the county’s public health officer, said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The possible exposure comes as the county hosts thousands of soccer fans for the World Cup tournament, which kicked off locally on Saturday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of Sunday afternoon, the state Department of Public Health dashboard reported 49 confirmed measles cases, though that number doesn’t appear to include Santa Clara’s latest case. The number of state-confirmed cases has sat steady since at least mid-May.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If confirmed by CDPH, Santa Clara’s case would be the 50th this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12041432\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12041432\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1065\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A measles advisory is shown tacked to a bulletin board outside Gaines County Courthouse in Seminole, Texas, on April 9, 2025. \u003ccite>(Brandon Bell/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>State health officials reported half that — 25 confirmed cases — across the state last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is becoming more and more common,” Rudman said in a media availability on Saturday. “A year ago, I would have said this is incredibly rare. And now this is already our second case of the year.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In February, the county reported its first measles case of the year when a vaccinated resident returned from international travel. Before 2025, the county hadn’t recorded a measles case since 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069161/californias-first-measles-case-of-2026-appears-to-be-unvaccinated-patient-in-bay-area\">recorded its highest number \u003c/a>of cases in 2025, 25 years after the disease was declared eliminated.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>California’s numbers also rose last year, state data shows. Since 2023, measles cases have increased every year. The last time cases surpassed current 2026 numbers was in 2019, when 72 cases \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/2022-VPD-Annual-Report.aspx\">were reported\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rudman said that the county is working with federal and state officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state Department of Public Health to identify any people who may have been exposed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Measles symptoms include a runny nose, fever, cough and rash, according \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/measles/signs-symptoms/\">to the CDC\u003c/a>. The first symptoms can appear up to two weeks after infection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to experience complications because of the disease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Santa Clara health officials said that people should monitor for symptoms for 21 days after the potential exposure and not attend large gatherings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Given the number of large international events currently happening throughout the Bay Area, it is especially important that any unvaccinated, exposed individual quarantines to the best of their ability and avoids contact with others if feeling unwell,” the Department said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If symptoms do appear, health officials advise contacting your doctor right away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "sfo-sapporo-flights-skiing-japan-cheaper-costs-tahoe-ski-passes-rusutsu-niseko",
"title": "SFO Will Begin Nonstop Flights for Japan Skiing This Winter. What Could It Mean for Tahoe?",
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"headTitle": "SFO Will Begin Nonstop Flights for Japan Skiing This Winter. What Could It Mean for Tahoe? | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>This winter, \u003ca href=\"https://www.united.com/en/us/newsroom/announcements/cision-125464\">San Francisco International Airport will begin offering nonstop flights to Sapporo\u003c/a>, the capital city of Hokkaido in Japan, which is also a prime skiing destination — with the new route running three times a week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These direct United Airlines flights to Japan’s northernmost island are part of the airline’s move to offer more flights nationwide to Sapporo during the winter. Currently, travelers wanting to reach the city’s ski resorts typically fly into Tokyo first before making their way north by air or train.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The flights may make what is \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/07/world/asia/japan-mount-fuji-kyoto-tourism.html\">already an increasingly popular\u003c/a> winter ski destination even more attractive. They’ve also been announced at a time when many Bay Area skiers are already making plans for this coming winter by mulling which, if any, \u003ca href=\"https://www.epicpass.com/passes/epic-pass.aspx?CMPID=PPC&adname=NTL_CONS_EP_EPICP_PROSG_RegionStudent_BD&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22264120545&gbraid=0AAAAADQhkiC9xGt3kFhwV7wX9gKfwAXJL&gclid=CjwKCAjw2rrQBhBuEiwAarLWHf8T55VAKvANLeQ9SgoK7fKTcIWPrhzObLZ62jySenoF5YiNlWn7OhoC3jIQAvD_BwE\">annual ski passes to buy\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Winter sports enthusiasts have long complained that \u003ca href=\"https://www.travelandleisure.com/is-it-cheaper-to-ski-in-europe-than-in-the-us-11880026\">in many instances\u003c/a>, it’s cheaper to fly abroad to ski than to take a trip to American resorts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, these SFO-Sapporo flights — which last 11 hours each way — are not exactly cheap. Right now, \u003ca href=\"https://www.united.com/en-us/flights-from-san-francisco-to-sapporo\">they’re listed at around $1,500 for a January 2027 round trip\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But once in Japan, the skiing, accommodations, rentals and other daily costs are \u003ca href=\"https://www.skimag.com/ski-resort-life/how-i-skied-japan-on-a-budget/\">much lower\u003c/a> than in most other ski destinations. So much so that U.S. travelers already mulling an international vacation this winter might just consider bringing along their skis and making a trip out of it, said Christine Savage, co-founder of \u003ca href=\"https://www.btbounds.com/\">Beyond the Boundaries\u003c/a>, a women-oriented snowboard camp and tour company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12085011\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12085011\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/KristaHolden_2026_JapanBTB-135.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/KristaHolden_2026_JapanBTB-135.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/KristaHolden_2026_JapanBTB-135-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/KristaHolden_2026_JapanBTB-135-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Participants on a Beyond the Boundaries trip enjoy snowboarding in Sapporo, Japan. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Krista Holden)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“If Japan isn’t on your bucket list, it’s just because you haven’t looked into it enough yet,” Savage said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Savage said she’s excited to hear about the new flights — both for herself and for the tour groups she leads to \u003ca href=\"https://www.btbounds.com/japan-8-day-trip-north-island\">Sapporo every winter.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not only does she hope more frequent, direct flights will mean easier access to Hokkaido and “more simplified, more smooth” travel — with the nonstop route potentially reducing headaches like delays and lost luggage — there are major bonuses to going all the way to Sapporo to ski, Savage said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Why U.S. skiers might choose Japan\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For one, the snow is fantastic in Japan — something to which this author can attest. During my own winter ski trip to Rusutsu in January, courtesy of a $500 round trip budget flight on \u003ca href=\"https://www.zipair.net/en\">ZIPAIR\u003c/a>, it snowed more than a foot each day I was on the mountain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While “nowhere is guaranteed” to have snow, and Savage said she’s had “lackluster” snow years even in Japan, \u003ca href=\"https://www.data.jma.go.jp/stats/etrn/view/monthly_s3_en.php?block_no=47412&view=14\">the city of Sapporo\u003c/a> itself gets around 13 feet of snow each year, with higher-elevation mountains nearby getting \u003ca href=\"https://www.burton.com/blogs/the-burton-blog/burtons-official-guide-to-snowboarding-Rusutsu/\">closer to 40 feet per year\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s compared to Tahoe’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.palisadestahoe.com/mountain-information/snowfall-tracker\">average annual snowfall of around 30 feet\u003c/a> at its resorts — and the fact that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077367/tahoe-ski-resorts-closing-dates-2026-heavenly-palisades-homewood-closed-weather-snow-forecast-storms\">particularly dismal\u003c/a> snow seasons, like this year’s, are not uncommon here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12085010\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12085010\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/KristaHolden_2026_JapanBTB-147.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/KristaHolden_2026_JapanBTB-147.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/KristaHolden_2026_JapanBTB-147-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/KristaHolden_2026_JapanBTB-147-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Participants on a Beyond the Boundaries trip enjoy snowboarding in Sapporo, Japan. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Krista Holden)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“In general, Japan tends to be fairly reliable,” Savage said. “The snow quality is incredible. I feel really grateful to get to ride it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then there’s the lower cost of skiing in Japan. Day rates for lift tickets at major resorts like Niseko and Rusutsu can be extremely low — rates around $50 per day — \u003ca href=\"https://www.travelandleisure.com/is-it-cheaper-to-ski-in-japan-or-the-us-11894156\">as opposed to hundreds of dollars for walk-up tickets at major U.S. resorts\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gear rentals, too, can be hundreds of dollars lower in Japan than in Tahoe or other U.S. ski destinations.[aside postID=news_12064955 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/Sugar-Bowl-2-johnjackson3_2-5-2025_ME.png']This broad difference in price has held true despite \u003ca href=\"https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/16314799\">price increases\u003c/a> across Japanese resorts in the last couple of years, as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/03/27/japan/japan-overtourism-measures/\">country tries to mitigate overtourism\u003c/a>. Savage said she expects to see prices continue to rise for people traveling into Japan from abroad to ski (some ski resorts, like Niseko,\u003ca href=\"https://locals.hirafu-hanazono.com/public/landing/en/shop.html\"> offer discounts for area residents\u003c/a>).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For San Ramon resident Scott Yin, skiing in Japan is a way to get more bang for his buck. He started skiing when he was living in China in 2021, and said that compared to a ski vacation in Tahoe, the experience of skiing in Japan is as good, if not better, and sometimes around half the price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For one thing, he noted the range of resorts and ski towns in Sapporo, meaning fewer crowds, lots of family-friendly options and less of a need to book far in advance. Yin has found that Sapporo lift lines are shorter, parking is easier and the food — particularly the affordable prices and high quality — is a big draw.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yin doesn’t have an Ikon or Epic Pass, so it’s cheapest for him to get lift tickets directly from the resorts and hotels he stays at for individual trips.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Tahoe is kind of the go-to, but we didn’t go this season because it was so expensive and there was no good date for us,” he said. “Compared to Sapporo, where there’s way more choice.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What could this mean for Tahoe?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The announcement of United’s direct Sapporo flights comes at a time when the cost of skiing in Tahoe has \u003ca href=\"https://www.tahoedailytribune.com/news/prices-for-the-epic-pass-hit-new-highs-for-2026-2027-season-despite-discount-for-next-generation/\">reached an all-time high.\u003c/a> That’s sent many people in the Bay Area \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064955/is-it-possible-to-ski-tahoe-without-spending-a-fortune\">looking for cheaper alternatives, like smaller, local mountains or independent pass options.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s also driving some to head abroad for their ski trips. Tim Pham founded SnowPals, a platform that connects Bay Area skiers and snow enthusiasts who want to share rides, ski leases or days out on the mountain — and his forum’s community was abuzz at the news of the direct SFO-Sapporo flights, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People are very excited, and they’re looking to do it,” he said. “Especially if the snow is lacking [in Tahoe].”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078062\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078062\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/TahoeGetty1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/TahoeGetty1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/TahoeGetty1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/TahoeGetty1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People carry skis as they walk toward a resort on March 21, 2023, in South Lake Tahoe, California. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Pham chalked the excitement up mostly to these conditions: This year’s poor snow in Tahoe was a real disappointment, he said. What’s more, many are worried next year might bring a “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12083376/an-incoming-super-el-nino-may-bring-california-a-wet-hot-winter\">Super El Niño\u003c/a>”: repeating warm, wet conditions that don’t bode well for mountain sports.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But what can you do, right? Now there’s an option where you can hop on a plane, and you can be skiing dry powder in Japan,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For some of the higher-income skiers in the Bay Area, that direct flight will feel worth the high price, Pham said. Especially since there’s even a red-eye option that can see a traveler get onto the mountain straightaway the next day, in time for a half-day of skiing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it’s not just Japan, Pham said — he’s also seeing international travel to ski destinations like Chile and Europe rising in popularity among online communities like his.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But while some people might outright replace their once-yearly Tahoe trip with a ski vacation abroad, Pham said, the entry-level costs inherent in skiing and snowboarding mean that there’ll always be others who’ll just do both.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12085012\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12085012\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/2015-02-25_PD_NU_SkiingPowder_0004.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/2015-02-25_PD_NU_SkiingPowder_0004.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/2015-02-25_PD_NU_SkiingPowder_0004-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/2015-02-25_PD_NU_SkiingPowder_0004-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/2015-02-25_PD_NU_SkiingPowder_0004-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A skier at Niseko, an Alterra partner resort in Sapporo, Japan. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Alterra Mountain Company)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s an expensive sport. It’s not cheap,” he said. “So if people have the means, they are always planning trips.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And even as day rates and Tahoe pass prices continue to climb, Pham doubts the rise in international skiing will dent annual pass sales, either. Both the Ikon and Epic Passes have destinations in Sapporo and all over the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are, in fact, two destinations on the Epic Pass in Japan — Hakuba Valley, a few hours by train from Tokyo, and Rusutsu Resort, just two hours from Sapporo — which allows passholders a total of 10 days of skiing in Japan each season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With Sapporo serving as a major gateway to Rusutsu, expanded flight options from SFO to Sapporo make access even more seamless,” Carly Mangan, spokesperson for Vail Resorts, told KQED. Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood resorts in Tahoe are all operated by Vail.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Savage, an Ikon Pass holder, it’s a major selling point of the pass itself.[aside postID=news_12066608 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251209-SNOWY-TAHOE-CS-KQED.jpg']“It makes my Ikon Pass more worthwhile having those Japan days that I know I’ll use,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s exactly the marketing message being promoted by Alterra Mountain Company, which sells the Ikon Pass and has nine partner resorts in the country, Ikon spokesperson Kristin Rust said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Ikon Pass is mostly rooted in aspiration,” she said. “We look at our destinations at really the tipping point of why you would choose Ikon Pass.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>United’s upcoming SFO-Sapporo flights are “a huge adjacent perk for us,” she said. “The more access and the easier access, the more skiers are going to get on a plane and go.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for whether or not skiers might see international destinations as equally expensive — or even cheaper — alternatives, it’s all about the trade-offs, Rust said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It all depends on what you want in a trip,” she said. “You gotta look at exchange rates, you gotta look at fuel rates when it comes to driving or flying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But oftentimes that can be the case — and so why not go explore the culture of Japan?” Rust said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, not everyone is convinced it’s really worth it to go all the way to Japan \u003cem>just \u003c/em>to ski — including Yin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12063307\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12063307\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GETTYIMAGES-2244764792-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1332\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GETTYIMAGES-2244764792-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GETTYIMAGES-2244764792-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GETTYIMAGES-2244764792-KQED-1536x1023.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A United Airlines plane takes off from the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in San Francisco on Nov. 5, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Even if he does travel all the way to Japan just to ski, he said, he isn’t likely to shell out to fly direct even with the new United routes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m not going to spend that much money just for the flight ticket,” Yin said. Given local airports like SFO already offer direct flights to Tokyo, “I’d rather just fly to Tokyo or anywhere that’s cheaper.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/japan-tourism-is-booming-as-travellers-look-beyond-tokyo-and-kyoto/ar-AA1Yu3zb?apiversion=v2&domshim=1&noservercache=1&noservertelemetry=1&batchservertelemetry=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1\">Sapporo’s increasing popularity\u003c/a>, he said, may have more to do with the rising popularity of Japan as a tourist destination in general. And more likely, many people already planning a multi-week international vacation may find it worthwhile to tack on some skiing while they’re there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Savage and her tour clients have the same mentality, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think for a lot of folks, it’s easy to be like, ‘Well, if I’m already spending this extreme amount of money, why not spend it and go see somewhere I’ve never been?’” Savage said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>This winter, \u003ca href=\"https://www.united.com/en/us/newsroom/announcements/cision-125464\">San Francisco International Airport will begin offering nonstop flights to Sapporo\u003c/a>, the capital city of Hokkaido in Japan, which is also a prime skiing destination — with the new route running three times a week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These direct United Airlines flights to Japan’s northernmost island are part of the airline’s move to offer more flights nationwide to Sapporo during the winter. Currently, travelers wanting to reach the city’s ski resorts typically fly into Tokyo first before making their way north by air or train.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The flights may make what is \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/07/world/asia/japan-mount-fuji-kyoto-tourism.html\">already an increasingly popular\u003c/a> winter ski destination even more attractive. They’ve also been announced at a time when many Bay Area skiers are already making plans for this coming winter by mulling which, if any, \u003ca href=\"https://www.epicpass.com/passes/epic-pass.aspx?CMPID=PPC&adname=NTL_CONS_EP_EPICP_PROSG_RegionStudent_BD&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22264120545&gbraid=0AAAAADQhkiC9xGt3kFhwV7wX9gKfwAXJL&gclid=CjwKCAjw2rrQBhBuEiwAarLWHf8T55VAKvANLeQ9SgoK7fKTcIWPrhzObLZ62jySenoF5YiNlWn7OhoC3jIQAvD_BwE\">annual ski passes to buy\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Winter sports enthusiasts have long complained that \u003ca href=\"https://www.travelandleisure.com/is-it-cheaper-to-ski-in-europe-than-in-the-us-11880026\">in many instances\u003c/a>, it’s cheaper to fly abroad to ski than to take a trip to American resorts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, these SFO-Sapporo flights — which last 11 hours each way — are not exactly cheap. Right now, \u003ca href=\"https://www.united.com/en-us/flights-from-san-francisco-to-sapporo\">they’re listed at around $1,500 for a January 2027 round trip\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But once in Japan, the skiing, accommodations, rentals and other daily costs are \u003ca href=\"https://www.skimag.com/ski-resort-life/how-i-skied-japan-on-a-budget/\">much lower\u003c/a> than in most other ski destinations. So much so that U.S. travelers already mulling an international vacation this winter might just consider bringing along their skis and making a trip out of it, said Christine Savage, co-founder of \u003ca href=\"https://www.btbounds.com/\">Beyond the Boundaries\u003c/a>, a women-oriented snowboard camp and tour company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12085011\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12085011\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/KristaHolden_2026_JapanBTB-135.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/KristaHolden_2026_JapanBTB-135.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/KristaHolden_2026_JapanBTB-135-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/KristaHolden_2026_JapanBTB-135-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Participants on a Beyond the Boundaries trip enjoy snowboarding in Sapporo, Japan. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Krista Holden)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“If Japan isn’t on your bucket list, it’s just because you haven’t looked into it enough yet,” Savage said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Savage said she’s excited to hear about the new flights — both for herself and for the tour groups she leads to \u003ca href=\"https://www.btbounds.com/japan-8-day-trip-north-island\">Sapporo every winter.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not only does she hope more frequent, direct flights will mean easier access to Hokkaido and “more simplified, more smooth” travel — with the nonstop route potentially reducing headaches like delays and lost luggage — there are major bonuses to going all the way to Sapporo to ski, Savage said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Why U.S. skiers might choose Japan\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For one, the snow is fantastic in Japan — something to which this author can attest. During my own winter ski trip to Rusutsu in January, courtesy of a $500 round trip budget flight on \u003ca href=\"https://www.zipair.net/en\">ZIPAIR\u003c/a>, it snowed more than a foot each day I was on the mountain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While “nowhere is guaranteed” to have snow, and Savage said she’s had “lackluster” snow years even in Japan, \u003ca href=\"https://www.data.jma.go.jp/stats/etrn/view/monthly_s3_en.php?block_no=47412&view=14\">the city of Sapporo\u003c/a> itself gets around 13 feet of snow each year, with higher-elevation mountains nearby getting \u003ca href=\"https://www.burton.com/blogs/the-burton-blog/burtons-official-guide-to-snowboarding-Rusutsu/\">closer to 40 feet per year\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s compared to Tahoe’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.palisadestahoe.com/mountain-information/snowfall-tracker\">average annual snowfall of around 30 feet\u003c/a> at its resorts — and the fact that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077367/tahoe-ski-resorts-closing-dates-2026-heavenly-palisades-homewood-closed-weather-snow-forecast-storms\">particularly dismal\u003c/a> snow seasons, like this year’s, are not uncommon here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12085010\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12085010\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/KristaHolden_2026_JapanBTB-147.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/KristaHolden_2026_JapanBTB-147.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/KristaHolden_2026_JapanBTB-147-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/KristaHolden_2026_JapanBTB-147-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Participants on a Beyond the Boundaries trip enjoy snowboarding in Sapporo, Japan. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Krista Holden)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“In general, Japan tends to be fairly reliable,” Savage said. “The snow quality is incredible. I feel really grateful to get to ride it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then there’s the lower cost of skiing in Japan. Day rates for lift tickets at major resorts like Niseko and Rusutsu can be extremely low — rates around $50 per day — \u003ca href=\"https://www.travelandleisure.com/is-it-cheaper-to-ski-in-japan-or-the-us-11894156\">as opposed to hundreds of dollars for walk-up tickets at major U.S. resorts\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gear rentals, too, can be hundreds of dollars lower in Japan than in Tahoe or other U.S. ski destinations.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>This broad difference in price has held true despite \u003ca href=\"https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/16314799\">price increases\u003c/a> across Japanese resorts in the last couple of years, as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/03/27/japan/japan-overtourism-measures/\">country tries to mitigate overtourism\u003c/a>. Savage said she expects to see prices continue to rise for people traveling into Japan from abroad to ski (some ski resorts, like Niseko,\u003ca href=\"https://locals.hirafu-hanazono.com/public/landing/en/shop.html\"> offer discounts for area residents\u003c/a>).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For San Ramon resident Scott Yin, skiing in Japan is a way to get more bang for his buck. He started skiing when he was living in China in 2021, and said that compared to a ski vacation in Tahoe, the experience of skiing in Japan is as good, if not better, and sometimes around half the price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For one thing, he noted the range of resorts and ski towns in Sapporo, meaning fewer crowds, lots of family-friendly options and less of a need to book far in advance. Yin has found that Sapporo lift lines are shorter, parking is easier and the food — particularly the affordable prices and high quality — is a big draw.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yin doesn’t have an Ikon or Epic Pass, so it’s cheapest for him to get lift tickets directly from the resorts and hotels he stays at for individual trips.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Tahoe is kind of the go-to, but we didn’t go this season because it was so expensive and there was no good date for us,” he said. “Compared to Sapporo, where there’s way more choice.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What could this mean for Tahoe?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The announcement of United’s direct Sapporo flights comes at a time when the cost of skiing in Tahoe has \u003ca href=\"https://www.tahoedailytribune.com/news/prices-for-the-epic-pass-hit-new-highs-for-2026-2027-season-despite-discount-for-next-generation/\">reached an all-time high.\u003c/a> That’s sent many people in the Bay Area \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064955/is-it-possible-to-ski-tahoe-without-spending-a-fortune\">looking for cheaper alternatives, like smaller, local mountains or independent pass options.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s also driving some to head abroad for their ski trips. Tim Pham founded SnowPals, a platform that connects Bay Area skiers and snow enthusiasts who want to share rides, ski leases or days out on the mountain — and his forum’s community was abuzz at the news of the direct SFO-Sapporo flights, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People are very excited, and they’re looking to do it,” he said. “Especially if the snow is lacking [in Tahoe].”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078062\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078062\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/TahoeGetty1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/TahoeGetty1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/TahoeGetty1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/TahoeGetty1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People carry skis as they walk toward a resort on March 21, 2023, in South Lake Tahoe, California. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Pham chalked the excitement up mostly to these conditions: This year’s poor snow in Tahoe was a real disappointment, he said. What’s more, many are worried next year might bring a “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12083376/an-incoming-super-el-nino-may-bring-california-a-wet-hot-winter\">Super El Niño\u003c/a>”: repeating warm, wet conditions that don’t bode well for mountain sports.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But what can you do, right? Now there’s an option where you can hop on a plane, and you can be skiing dry powder in Japan,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For some of the higher-income skiers in the Bay Area, that direct flight will feel worth the high price, Pham said. Especially since there’s even a red-eye option that can see a traveler get onto the mountain straightaway the next day, in time for a half-day of skiing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it’s not just Japan, Pham said — he’s also seeing international travel to ski destinations like Chile and Europe rising in popularity among online communities like his.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But while some people might outright replace their once-yearly Tahoe trip with a ski vacation abroad, Pham said, the entry-level costs inherent in skiing and snowboarding mean that there’ll always be others who’ll just do both.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12085012\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12085012\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/2015-02-25_PD_NU_SkiingPowder_0004.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/2015-02-25_PD_NU_SkiingPowder_0004.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/2015-02-25_PD_NU_SkiingPowder_0004-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/2015-02-25_PD_NU_SkiingPowder_0004-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/2015-02-25_PD_NU_SkiingPowder_0004-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A skier at Niseko, an Alterra partner resort in Sapporo, Japan. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Alterra Mountain Company)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s an expensive sport. It’s not cheap,” he said. “So if people have the means, they are always planning trips.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And even as day rates and Tahoe pass prices continue to climb, Pham doubts the rise in international skiing will dent annual pass sales, either. Both the Ikon and Epic Passes have destinations in Sapporo and all over the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are, in fact, two destinations on the Epic Pass in Japan — Hakuba Valley, a few hours by train from Tokyo, and Rusutsu Resort, just two hours from Sapporo — which allows passholders a total of 10 days of skiing in Japan each season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With Sapporo serving as a major gateway to Rusutsu, expanded flight options from SFO to Sapporo make access even more seamless,” Carly Mangan, spokesperson for Vail Resorts, told KQED. Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood resorts in Tahoe are all operated by Vail.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Savage, an Ikon Pass holder, it’s a major selling point of the pass itself.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“It makes my Ikon Pass more worthwhile having those Japan days that I know I’ll use,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s exactly the marketing message being promoted by Alterra Mountain Company, which sells the Ikon Pass and has nine partner resorts in the country, Ikon spokesperson Kristin Rust said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Ikon Pass is mostly rooted in aspiration,” she said. “We look at our destinations at really the tipping point of why you would choose Ikon Pass.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>United’s upcoming SFO-Sapporo flights are “a huge adjacent perk for us,” she said. “The more access and the easier access, the more skiers are going to get on a plane and go.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for whether or not skiers might see international destinations as equally expensive — or even cheaper — alternatives, it’s all about the trade-offs, Rust said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It all depends on what you want in a trip,” she said. “You gotta look at exchange rates, you gotta look at fuel rates when it comes to driving or flying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But oftentimes that can be the case — and so why not go explore the culture of Japan?” Rust said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, not everyone is convinced it’s really worth it to go all the way to Japan \u003cem>just \u003c/em>to ski — including Yin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12063307\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12063307\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GETTYIMAGES-2244764792-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1332\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GETTYIMAGES-2244764792-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GETTYIMAGES-2244764792-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/GETTYIMAGES-2244764792-KQED-1536x1023.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A United Airlines plane takes off from the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in San Francisco on Nov. 5, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Even if he does travel all the way to Japan just to ski, he said, he isn’t likely to shell out to fly direct even with the new United routes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m not going to spend that much money just for the flight ticket,” Yin said. Given local airports like SFO already offer direct flights to Tokyo, “I’d rather just fly to Tokyo or anywhere that’s cheaper.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/japan-tourism-is-booming-as-travellers-look-beyond-tokyo-and-kyoto/ar-AA1Yu3zb?apiversion=v2&domshim=1&noservercache=1&noservertelemetry=1&batchservertelemetry=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1\">Sapporo’s increasing popularity\u003c/a>, he said, may have more to do with the rising popularity of Japan as a tourist destination in general. And more likely, many people already planning a multi-week international vacation may find it worthwhile to tack on some skiing while they’re there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Savage and her tour clients have the same mentality, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think for a lot of folks, it’s easy to be like, ‘Well, if I’m already spending this extreme amount of money, why not spend it and go see somewhere I’ve never been?’” Savage said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "The Workers Who Make SFO Go 'Round Want Higher Wages",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Workers at San Francisco International Airport who clean planes, handle baggage, and push wheelchairs told city supervisors at a recent hearing that they’re sleeping in their cars and surviving on rice and oatmeal. Now city supervisors say their labor fight for higher wages is on notice. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Links:\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12082724/san-francisco-airport-labor-fight-hits-city-hall-this-week\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Francisco Airport Labor Fight Hits City Hall This Week\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=KQINC2970999248\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Episode Transcript\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:00:00] \u003c/em>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevara and welcome to The Bay, local news to keep you rooted. Last year, San Francisco International Airport was named one of the most beautiful airports in the world. And it’s true. For many, traveling through SFO is fast, comfortable, and an enjoyable experience. And that’s thanks to the thousands of workers who make it that way. But SFO is also the site of a major labor dispute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jaime Gonzalez: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:00:35] \u003c/em>I’m a baggage handler. These companies that we work for, they know that the cost of living is so steep here, and yet they seem to believe that $22 an hour is enough, and it’s just frustrating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:00:47] \u003c/em>SFO workers who clean airplane cabins, handle baggage, work security, and push wheelchairs have been asking for higher wages for over a year, all while domestic airliners have seen record profits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Noyra Gonzalez: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:01:05] \u003c/em>Many of my co-workers, they sleep at the parking lot in their cars because they have two or three jobs, so they basically live at the airport, like living for the airport.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:01:15] \u003c/em>Today, KQED’s Azul Dahlstrom Ekman introduces us to the workers who make SFO go round and their fight for better wages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:01:33] \u003c/em>So Azul, you went to a San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting last week. What was the mood and what was being discussed there?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Board of Supervisors Meeting: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:01:42] \u003c/em>Good morning. This meeting will come to order. Welcome to the May 7th.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:01:47] \u003c/em>So this was a hearing basically called by the board of supervisors to hear about how labor negotiations are going on the stalled contract between subcontractors who provide essential passenger services at SFO and the unions that represent these workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Noyra Gonzalez: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:02:07] \u003c/em>Good morning, my name is Noyra. I am here representing my brothers and sisters of the International Airport of San Francisco. We are the workers that help millions of people travel safely to our city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:02:21] \u003c/em>People who work at SFO came to give testimony about how hard their lives are, how little they’re paid and how that affects their lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Noyra Gonzalez: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:02:32] \u003c/em>We are earning poverty wages in a city that doesn’t match this cost of living. So today I am asking you to stand with us, investing your workers that make the city alive. Thank you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:02:46] \u003c/em>So right now, on average, they’re paid around $22 to $24 an hour, and they’re asking for $30 an hour. Their contract expired in April of last year. They’ve been working under an extension. That extension expired this month. And the Board of Supervisors basically called this meeting to essentially call attention to these kind of stalled negotiations and I think put some pressure on both groups to come to a resolution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:03:18] \u003c/em>And passenger service workers at SFO, who are we talking about exactly? What kind of work are we talkin’ about?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:03:24] \u003c/em>Yeah, so these are really like the essential workers that keep the airport running. And they’re not the ones like flying the planes or doing aircraft control, but they’re cleaning terminals. They’re the people that meet you with a wheelchair if you need one when you get off the plane. Baggage handlers, chefs, you know, the people really are behind the passenger experience at SFO. So SEIU-USWW represents 2,000 airport workers who work in these roles. So. It’s a lot of people that are doing this work that’s keeping SFO running.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:03:57] \u003c/em>And you actually talked with some of these workers outside of this hearing. Who did you meet and what did they tell you about the work that they’re doing and how hard it is?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:04:10] \u003c/em>Yeah, well, I mean, imagine pushing a wheelchair for eight hours every day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nestor Dolde: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:04:14] \u003c/em>I need to work hard. I sacrifice health and safety of myself just to give a decent living with my family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:04:24] \u003c/em>I talked to Nestor Dolde, for instance. He is a 73 year old wheelchair agent who works 16 hours a day. He actually carries two jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nestor Dolde: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:04:35] \u003c/em>I don’t sleep too much. I work 16 hours a day, I sleep only 4 hours and then come back to the airport to work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:04:44] \u003c/em>He starts work at 5.30 in the morning, finishes at 2.30. When he finishes at 2:30, he turns right around and starts another shift for another company. Gets off at 11.30, so working most of the day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nestor Dolde: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:04:57] \u003c/em>I have a family of four. You have to pay rent for the house. You have the pay the food. You have a few else to very skyrocketing too because of living in the Bay Area. That’s why I need to work harder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:05:19] \u003c/em>And he’s 73, you said?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:05:22] \u003c/em>He’s 73.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:05:22] \u003c/em>Wow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:05:23] \u003c/em>And still working.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nestor Dolde: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:05:25] \u003c/em>I felt disgusted because the minimum wage that we have here in San Francisco, we need more just to survive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:05:42] \u003c/em>Well, I wanna step back just a little bit, Azul, because I just am curious why airport worker pay is being discussed at a San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting at all. Like, what does San Francisco Board of supervisors have to do with airport worker wages?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:05:59] \u003c/em>Yeah, there’s a few reasons. I mean, I think at a very general level, like the board of supervisors wants to see, especially at places like SFO, which are these kind of reflections of the city that there is fair negotiated contracts between organized labor and contractors. The other thing is that the current rate of pay at SFO was actually set by the board supervisors in 2000. So there is a history of the board of supervisors. Determining wages at SFO. It’s called the minimum compensation ordinance and it actually covers more than just airport workers, but it’s basically saying like people that work with the city and county of San Francisco are gonna get a minimum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:06:43] \u003c/em>So the San Francisco Board of Supervisors sets the minimum wage, but these workers are actually employed not by the city, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:06:53] \u003c/em>So these employees and these union members work for subcontractors. And these subcontractors are hired by the airlines to perform these vital services. SFO is kind of not a party to these negotiations at all. They’re involved in so much as that they negotiate leases with the airlines. So you can kind of think of it as a food chain. SFO was on top and they’re coming to agreements with the Airlines about like, you know, Delta. Here’s how much it is to rent a terminal at SFO. And then Delta takes that and then they subcontract out to these companies to provide the services and then the workers are sort of, you know, at the bottom of the food chain. And these are just sort of everyday Bay Area people. I mean, they’re people that are getting paid around $22 an hour. That’s the current wage. Basically blue collar workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:07:57] \u003c/em>I feel like I have noticed anytime I walk through SFO, there’s just like a lot of Filipino, immigrant SFO workers, I feel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:08:06] \u003c/em>Yeah, like Nestor Dolde. He’s a Filipino immigrant. At the Board of Supervisors meeting, these workers were characterized as sort of like, this is our immigrant working class who is fulfilling these roles at SFO.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:08:29] \u003c/em>Coming up, whether relief is on the horizon for SFO workers. We’ll be right back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:08:41] \u003c/em>Well, let’s talk a little bit more about what these workers want. I mean, how much are they getting paid now and what are they asking for?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:08:49] \u003c/em>Right, so the contract that is covering these workers goes over things like health care, wages, time off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Cam Roberts: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:08:56] \u003c/em>Some of the things we’re asking for are really basic things that any person who lives in the Bay Area would need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:09:04] \u003c/em>Cam Roberts is the airport’s coordinator for SEIU-USWW, and she’s been at the negotiating table with these contractors. She basically said they’re asking for $30 an hour, sick time, more PTO.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Cam Roberts: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:09:17] \u003c/em>We’ve been at the bargaining table, we’ve met numerous times over the past year, they’ve responded to some of it but they have not given us a full economic package and they have not responded to our wages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:09:32] \u003c/em>Workers say that this wage that they’re currently paid is not even a survival wage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jaime Gonzalez: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:09:43] \u003c/em>I’m being paid like $22.75 an hour, something like that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:09:49] \u003c/em>And tell me about like how does that wage affect your life?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jaime Gonzalez: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:09:56] \u003c/em>Well, it’s terrible, I mean, I don’t know how to even put it in words.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:10:03] \u003c/em>Jaime Gonzalez is a baggage handler at SFO. He’s been doing that for about two years. And he said, look, we should be getting paid $40 an hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jaime Gonzalez: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:10:11] \u003c/em>It’s barely, barely covering the essentials. So basically, if I need some kind of emergency fund or if I have something I need to spend money on, I have to use my credit card. And then it’s like I dig myself in a credit card hole because what I’m being paid now is just barely covering my car insurance, car notes, rent, food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:10:36] \u003c/em>You know, he’s a San Francisco native, grew up in Portrero Hill, shout out Portrero Hill. He said he had to move to a not so good neighborhood in East Oakland and he has a daughter and he’s feeling the stress of being a parent where he’s having to raise his daughter in a place that isn’t great according to him because he can’t afford it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jaime Gonzalez: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:10:56] \u003c/em>And that’s one of the main reasons why I’m fighting for $30 an hour so I can save up to put a down payment on a house in a nicer neighborhood where I can raise my daughter and where she can blossom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:11:12] \u003c/em>People are talking about sleeping on couches, working two or three jobs, sleeping in the parking lot in their cars in order to make ends meet. Global airline industry was projected to make $41 billion dollars in 2026. That projection was before the current jump in fuel prices, so we can hedge that a little bit. But I think for these workers, you know, they see that compared with their $22 an hour and think that, okay, these contractors can pony up a little more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:11:46] \u003c/em>Azul, these workers have been under negotiations with these companies for about a year now. What’s the holdup?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:11:53] \u003c/em>According to the union, these five subcontractors have basically not responded to the economic proposal, meaning they haven’t come back with sort of a counteroffer that says like, okay, you’re asking for 30, we’re gonna give you this. They have been sitting down at the table, there are negotiations ongoing, but they’re certainly not going fast for what the union wants or what the workers want. We reached out to all five of the subcontractors and they did not respond to requests for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:12:26] \u003c/em>If the board of supervisors can decide how much these workers make, can’t the board of supervisors just sort of step in here and raise these workers’ wages?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:12:37] \u003c/em>Right, and I put that exact question to Supervisor Rafael Mandelman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Rafael Mandelman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:12:42] \u003c/em>It would be great for them to figure out a way to resolve this soon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:12:46] \u003c/em>He said they would like to see a negotiated resolution, meaning they’d like to the union and the subcontractors that actually operate under a consolidated agreement. So it’s just one negotiation come to a resolution. But he said, we have legislated on wages at the airport in the past and we’re prepared to do it again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Rafael Mandelman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:13:08] \u003c/em>It is just such a contrast between the evident wealth of that airport and the working conditions of the lowest wage workers at the airport and I think it’s good for the Board of Supervisors to weigh in to try and support them as they’re trying to raise their wages and get better benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:13:29] \u003c/em>What are the next steps from here? Azul, what’s the timeline? Especially for these workers who I imagine would love to see their wages up… now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:13:40] \u003c/em>Wage negotiations between unions and contractors are really not transparent. We don’t get a lot of updates. I did reach out to the union and ask if the hearing had brought any urgency to the negotiations. I didn’t get response. So I think we’ll just have to wait and see.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:14:05] \u003c/em>What do you think this story says about life in the Bay Area right now, especially for the sort of lower wage immigrant workers who make this institution really go round?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:14:18] \u003c/em>As a reporter, I go out and talk to people a lot and I was kind of having deja vu when I was talking to these workers where they’re like, the Bay area is so expensive and I don’t make enough money and it feels like I’m just hearing that a lot. You know, SFO is like this beautiful state of the art facility where you can have a robot serve you coffee and there’s a yoga room and like, you can choose between hot ambient and cold water for your refillable water bottle, you know? But at the same time, The people that are literally… Cleaning this airport, making it run, getting people to where they need to go are not being paid enough to get by in the Bay Area. The World Cup’s coming soon, you know, there’s gonna be this huge influx of visitors to the Bay Area and SFO is the first thing people see when they get to San Francisco. And so it’s kind of a reflection of both sides of the Bay area, right? Like this beautiful place that we live in and then also the intense struggles people are in just to survive here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:15:24] \u003c/em>Azul, thank you so much for joining me on the show. Appreciate it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:15:27] \u003c/em>Yeah, you’re welcome.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Workers at San Francisco International Airport who clean planes, handle baggage, and push wheelchairs told city supervisors at a recent hearing that they’re sleeping in their cars and surviving on rice and oatmeal. Now city supervisors say their labor fight for higher wages is on notice. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Links:\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12082724/san-francisco-airport-labor-fight-hits-city-hall-this-week\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Francisco Airport Labor Fight Hits City Hall This Week\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=KQINC2970999248\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Episode Transcript\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:00:00] \u003c/em>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevara and welcome to The Bay, local news to keep you rooted. Last year, San Francisco International Airport was named one of the most beautiful airports in the world. And it’s true. For many, traveling through SFO is fast, comfortable, and an enjoyable experience. And that’s thanks to the thousands of workers who make it that way. But SFO is also the site of a major labor dispute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jaime Gonzalez: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:00:35] \u003c/em>I’m a baggage handler. These companies that we work for, they know that the cost of living is so steep here, and yet they seem to believe that $22 an hour is enough, and it’s just frustrating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:00:47] \u003c/em>SFO workers who clean airplane cabins, handle baggage, work security, and push wheelchairs have been asking for higher wages for over a year, all while domestic airliners have seen record profits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Noyra Gonzalez: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:01:05] \u003c/em>Many of my co-workers, they sleep at the parking lot in their cars because they have two or three jobs, so they basically live at the airport, like living for the airport.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:01:15] \u003c/em>Today, KQED’s Azul Dahlstrom Ekman introduces us to the workers who make SFO go round and their fight for better wages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:01:33] \u003c/em>So Azul, you went to a San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting last week. What was the mood and what was being discussed there?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Board of Supervisors Meeting: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:01:42] \u003c/em>Good morning. This meeting will come to order. Welcome to the May 7th.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:01:47] \u003c/em>So this was a hearing basically called by the board of supervisors to hear about how labor negotiations are going on the stalled contract between subcontractors who provide essential passenger services at SFO and the unions that represent these workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Noyra Gonzalez: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:02:07] \u003c/em>Good morning, my name is Noyra. I am here representing my brothers and sisters of the International Airport of San Francisco. We are the workers that help millions of people travel safely to our city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:02:21] \u003c/em>People who work at SFO came to give testimony about how hard their lives are, how little they’re paid and how that affects their lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Noyra Gonzalez: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:02:32] \u003c/em>We are earning poverty wages in a city that doesn’t match this cost of living. So today I am asking you to stand with us, investing your workers that make the city alive. Thank you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:02:46] \u003c/em>So right now, on average, they’re paid around $22 to $24 an hour, and they’re asking for $30 an hour. Their contract expired in April of last year. They’ve been working under an extension. That extension expired this month. And the Board of Supervisors basically called this meeting to essentially call attention to these kind of stalled negotiations and I think put some pressure on both groups to come to a resolution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:03:18] \u003c/em>And passenger service workers at SFO, who are we talking about exactly? What kind of work are we talkin’ about?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:03:24] \u003c/em>Yeah, so these are really like the essential workers that keep the airport running. And they’re not the ones like flying the planes or doing aircraft control, but they’re cleaning terminals. They’re the people that meet you with a wheelchair if you need one when you get off the plane. Baggage handlers, chefs, you know, the people really are behind the passenger experience at SFO. So SEIU-USWW represents 2,000 airport workers who work in these roles. So. It’s a lot of people that are doing this work that’s keeping SFO running.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:03:57] \u003c/em>And you actually talked with some of these workers outside of this hearing. Who did you meet and what did they tell you about the work that they’re doing and how hard it is?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:04:10] \u003c/em>Yeah, well, I mean, imagine pushing a wheelchair for eight hours every day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nestor Dolde: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:04:14] \u003c/em>I need to work hard. I sacrifice health and safety of myself just to give a decent living with my family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:04:24] \u003c/em>I talked to Nestor Dolde, for instance. He is a 73 year old wheelchair agent who works 16 hours a day. He actually carries two jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nestor Dolde: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:04:35] \u003c/em>I don’t sleep too much. I work 16 hours a day, I sleep only 4 hours and then come back to the airport to work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:04:44] \u003c/em>He starts work at 5.30 in the morning, finishes at 2.30. When he finishes at 2:30, he turns right around and starts another shift for another company. Gets off at 11.30, so working most of the day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nestor Dolde: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:04:57] \u003c/em>I have a family of four. You have to pay rent for the house. You have the pay the food. You have a few else to very skyrocketing too because of living in the Bay Area. That’s why I need to work harder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:05:19] \u003c/em>And he’s 73, you said?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:05:22] \u003c/em>He’s 73.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:05:22] \u003c/em>Wow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:05:23] \u003c/em>And still working.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Nestor Dolde: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:05:25] \u003c/em>I felt disgusted because the minimum wage that we have here in San Francisco, we need more just to survive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:05:42] \u003c/em>Well, I wanna step back just a little bit, Azul, because I just am curious why airport worker pay is being discussed at a San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting at all. Like, what does San Francisco Board of supervisors have to do with airport worker wages?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:05:59] \u003c/em>Yeah, there’s a few reasons. I mean, I think at a very general level, like the board of supervisors wants to see, especially at places like SFO, which are these kind of reflections of the city that there is fair negotiated contracts between organized labor and contractors. The other thing is that the current rate of pay at SFO was actually set by the board supervisors in 2000. So there is a history of the board of supervisors. Determining wages at SFO. It’s called the minimum compensation ordinance and it actually covers more than just airport workers, but it’s basically saying like people that work with the city and county of San Francisco are gonna get a minimum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:06:43] \u003c/em>So the San Francisco Board of Supervisors sets the minimum wage, but these workers are actually employed not by the city, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:06:53] \u003c/em>So these employees and these union members work for subcontractors. And these subcontractors are hired by the airlines to perform these vital services. SFO is kind of not a party to these negotiations at all. They’re involved in so much as that they negotiate leases with the airlines. So you can kind of think of it as a food chain. SFO was on top and they’re coming to agreements with the Airlines about like, you know, Delta. Here’s how much it is to rent a terminal at SFO. And then Delta takes that and then they subcontract out to these companies to provide the services and then the workers are sort of, you know, at the bottom of the food chain. And these are just sort of everyday Bay Area people. I mean, they’re people that are getting paid around $22 an hour. That’s the current wage. Basically blue collar workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:07:57] \u003c/em>I feel like I have noticed anytime I walk through SFO, there’s just like a lot of Filipino, immigrant SFO workers, I feel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:08:06] \u003c/em>Yeah, like Nestor Dolde. He’s a Filipino immigrant. At the Board of Supervisors meeting, these workers were characterized as sort of like, this is our immigrant working class who is fulfilling these roles at SFO.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:08:29] \u003c/em>Coming up, whether relief is on the horizon for SFO workers. We’ll be right back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:08:41] \u003c/em>Well, let’s talk a little bit more about what these workers want. I mean, how much are they getting paid now and what are they asking for?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:08:49] \u003c/em>Right, so the contract that is covering these workers goes over things like health care, wages, time off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Cam Roberts: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:08:56] \u003c/em>Some of the things we’re asking for are really basic things that any person who lives in the Bay Area would need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:09:04] \u003c/em>Cam Roberts is the airport’s coordinator for SEIU-USWW, and she’s been at the negotiating table with these contractors. She basically said they’re asking for $30 an hour, sick time, more PTO.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Cam Roberts: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:09:17] \u003c/em>We’ve been at the bargaining table, we’ve met numerous times over the past year, they’ve responded to some of it but they have not given us a full economic package and they have not responded to our wages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:09:32] \u003c/em>Workers say that this wage that they’re currently paid is not even a survival wage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jaime Gonzalez: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:09:43] \u003c/em>I’m being paid like $22.75 an hour, something like that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:09:49] \u003c/em>And tell me about like how does that wage affect your life?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jaime Gonzalez: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:09:56] \u003c/em>Well, it’s terrible, I mean, I don’t know how to even put it in words.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:10:03] \u003c/em>Jaime Gonzalez is a baggage handler at SFO. He’s been doing that for about two years. And he said, look, we should be getting paid $40 an hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jaime Gonzalez: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:10:11] \u003c/em>It’s barely, barely covering the essentials. So basically, if I need some kind of emergency fund or if I have something I need to spend money on, I have to use my credit card. And then it’s like I dig myself in a credit card hole because what I’m being paid now is just barely covering my car insurance, car notes, rent, food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:10:36] \u003c/em>You know, he’s a San Francisco native, grew up in Portrero Hill, shout out Portrero Hill. He said he had to move to a not so good neighborhood in East Oakland and he has a daughter and he’s feeling the stress of being a parent where he’s having to raise his daughter in a place that isn’t great according to him because he can’t afford it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jaime Gonzalez: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:10:56] \u003c/em>And that’s one of the main reasons why I’m fighting for $30 an hour so I can save up to put a down payment on a house in a nicer neighborhood where I can raise my daughter and where she can blossom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:11:12] \u003c/em>People are talking about sleeping on couches, working two or three jobs, sleeping in the parking lot in their cars in order to make ends meet. Global airline industry was projected to make $41 billion dollars in 2026. That projection was before the current jump in fuel prices, so we can hedge that a little bit. But I think for these workers, you know, they see that compared with their $22 an hour and think that, okay, these contractors can pony up a little more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:11:46] \u003c/em>Azul, these workers have been under negotiations with these companies for about a year now. What’s the holdup?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:11:53] \u003c/em>According to the union, these five subcontractors have basically not responded to the economic proposal, meaning they haven’t come back with sort of a counteroffer that says like, okay, you’re asking for 30, we’re gonna give you this. They have been sitting down at the table, there are negotiations ongoing, but they’re certainly not going fast for what the union wants or what the workers want. We reached out to all five of the subcontractors and they did not respond to requests for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:12:26] \u003c/em>If the board of supervisors can decide how much these workers make, can’t the board of supervisors just sort of step in here and raise these workers’ wages?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:12:37] \u003c/em>Right, and I put that exact question to Supervisor Rafael Mandelman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Rafael Mandelman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:12:42] \u003c/em>It would be great for them to figure out a way to resolve this soon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:12:46] \u003c/em>He said they would like to see a negotiated resolution, meaning they’d like to the union and the subcontractors that actually operate under a consolidated agreement. So it’s just one negotiation come to a resolution. But he said, we have legislated on wages at the airport in the past and we’re prepared to do it again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Rafael Mandelman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:13:08] \u003c/em>It is just such a contrast between the evident wealth of that airport and the working conditions of the lowest wage workers at the airport and I think it’s good for the Board of Supervisors to weigh in to try and support them as they’re trying to raise their wages and get better benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:13:29] \u003c/em>What are the next steps from here? Azul, what’s the timeline? Especially for these workers who I imagine would love to see their wages up… now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:13:40] \u003c/em>Wage negotiations between unions and contractors are really not transparent. We don’t get a lot of updates. I did reach out to the union and ask if the hearing had brought any urgency to the negotiations. I didn’t get response. So I think we’ll just have to wait and see.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:14:05] \u003c/em>What do you think this story says about life in the Bay Area right now, especially for the sort of lower wage immigrant workers who make this institution really go round?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:14:18] \u003c/em>As a reporter, I go out and talk to people a lot and I was kind of having deja vu when I was talking to these workers where they’re like, the Bay area is so expensive and I don’t make enough money and it feels like I’m just hearing that a lot. You know, SFO is like this beautiful state of the art facility where you can have a robot serve you coffee and there’s a yoga room and like, you can choose between hot ambient and cold water for your refillable water bottle, you know? But at the same time, The people that are literally… Cleaning this airport, making it run, getting people to where they need to go are not being paid enough to get by in the Bay Area. The World Cup’s coming soon, you know, there’s gonna be this huge influx of visitors to the Bay Area and SFO is the first thing people see when they get to San Francisco. And so it’s kind of a reflection of both sides of the Bay area, right? Like this beautiful place that we live in and then also the intense struggles people are in just to survive here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:15:24] \u003c/em>Azul, thank you so much for joining me on the show. Appreciate it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman: \u003c/b>\u003cem>[00:15:27] \u003c/em>Yeah, you’re welcome.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Service workers at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-international-airport\">San Francisco’s airport\u003c/a> called for a $30 an hour minimum wage and other improved benefits during a Board of Supervisors hearing on Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers at San Francisco International Airport who clean airplane cabins, handle baggage, work security, push wheelchairs and more currently make about $22 per hour. This translates to a little over $45,000, before taxes, for a 40-hour work week — well below the poverty line in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nestor Dolde, 73, said he works two separate jobs at the airport — totalling 16 hours a day — to earn enough for his family of four to survive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I sacrifice the health and safety of myself just to give a decent living [to] my family because the transportation now is so expensive … I don’t sleep too much,” Dolde said at the hearing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hearing comes days after a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12082129/bay-area-elected-officials-among-several-arrested-at-may-day-protest-at-sfo\">May Day protest at the airport\u003c/a> over the labor fight ended in arrests of Supervisors Rafael Mandelman and Connie Chan, and state Sen. Josh Becker, D-San Mateo, along with around 20 others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The officials had gathered with dozens of janitors, security officers and airport workers with Service Employees International Union United Service Workers West, who said at the rally that their stagnant pay could not keep up with the high cost of living in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mandelman scheduled Thursday’s hearing in April to check on the lengthy contract negotiations between nearly 2,000 SFO employees represented by SEIU-USWW and a group of multi-national corporate contractors that employ them, including G2/Menzies, PrimeFlight, Unifi, ABM and Compass/Flix.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12082139\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12082139\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/MayDaySFGetty2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/MayDaySFGetty2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/MayDaySFGetty2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/MayDaySFGetty2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Supervisor Rafael Mandelman is arrested as he stands with other demonstrators blocking the road in front of San Francisco International terminal during ICE Out of San Francisco protest at SFO on May Day at San Francisco International Airport on Friday, May 1, 2026, in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The protest and the hearing follow a year of fruitless negotiations with the airport contractors, union representatives said. They also said that the airport contractors have not yet offered a full response to workers’demands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>None of the five contractors involved in the negotiations sent a representative to the hearing, nor did they respond to KQED’s requests for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Throughout the hearing, airport workers shared emotional stories about struggling to make enough to survive in the Bay Area — doing everything from taking on second jobs to subsisting on diets of rice and oatmeal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And yet, the employees displayed immense pride in their work, sporting T-shirts with the slogan “We Make SFO Fly” splashed across the back.[aside postID=news_12081923 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/20240426_DEPTOFLABORANNOUNCEMENT-16-GC-KQED-1020x680.jpg']Noyra Gonzalez, a wheelchair agent who spends her days helping people get to and from their gates, told KQED: “At the end of the day, it’s a very fulfilling job because we’re helping people that actually need the help.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gonzalez said that she cannot afford her own apartment and only recently upgraded from her aunt’s couch to a room in a shared home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I had to sleep on a couch in order to make ends meet … Many of my co-workers sleep at the parking lot in their cars, and some others sleep in the airport because they have two or three jobs, so they basically live at the airport,” Gonzalez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, airport workers in Los Angeles won a $30 an hour wage, to be phased in by 2028. There, a coalition of airlines — along with other industry groups that employ service workers — tried to force a citywide vote on the new laws, claiming they would lead to layoffs and deliver a fresh blow to the tourism industry, after COVID-19 led to major losses, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-05-14/council-hikes-hotel-minimum-wage-despite-warnings-from-tourism-companies\">\u003cem>Los Angeles Times\u003c/em>\u003c/a> reported.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sanjay Garla, first vice president of SEIU-USWW, a 50,000-person union that fought for the gains in Los Angeles, said that the low wages are ultimately the airline’s responsibility. The airlines, which set the overall contracting prices, have pushed to keep them low despite record profits, Garla said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A report by Airport Workers United, a national airport workers union, shared ahead of the meeting, stated that every individual domestic airline in the “Big Four” — American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines — saw record revenues in 2025 and net profits of about $39.5 billion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is just such a contrast between the evident wealth of that airport and the working conditions of the lowest wage workers at the airport,” Mandelman told KQED after the hearing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He confirmed that the board could step in, saying, “We have legislated around the airport in the past, and we could do it again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/adahlstromeckman\">\u003cem>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Service workers at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-international-airport\">San Francisco’s airport\u003c/a> called for a $30 an hour minimum wage and other improved benefits during a Board of Supervisors hearing on Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers at San Francisco International Airport who clean airplane cabins, handle baggage, work security, push wheelchairs and more currently make about $22 per hour. This translates to a little over $45,000, before taxes, for a 40-hour work week — well below the poverty line in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nestor Dolde, 73, said he works two separate jobs at the airport — totalling 16 hours a day — to earn enough for his family of four to survive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I sacrifice the health and safety of myself just to give a decent living [to] my family because the transportation now is so expensive … I don’t sleep too much,” Dolde said at the hearing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hearing comes days after a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12082129/bay-area-elected-officials-among-several-arrested-at-may-day-protest-at-sfo\">May Day protest at the airport\u003c/a> over the labor fight ended in arrests of Supervisors Rafael Mandelman and Connie Chan, and state Sen. Josh Becker, D-San Mateo, along with around 20 others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The officials had gathered with dozens of janitors, security officers and airport workers with Service Employees International Union United Service Workers West, who said at the rally that their stagnant pay could not keep up with the high cost of living in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mandelman scheduled Thursday’s hearing in April to check on the lengthy contract negotiations between nearly 2,000 SFO employees represented by SEIU-USWW and a group of multi-national corporate contractors that employ them, including G2/Menzies, PrimeFlight, Unifi, ABM and Compass/Flix.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12082139\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12082139\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/MayDaySFGetty2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/MayDaySFGetty2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/MayDaySFGetty2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/MayDaySFGetty2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Supervisor Rafael Mandelman is arrested as he stands with other demonstrators blocking the road in front of San Francisco International terminal during ICE Out of San Francisco protest at SFO on May Day at San Francisco International Airport on Friday, May 1, 2026, in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The protest and the hearing follow a year of fruitless negotiations with the airport contractors, union representatives said. They also said that the airport contractors have not yet offered a full response to workers’demands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>None of the five contractors involved in the negotiations sent a representative to the hearing, nor did they respond to KQED’s requests for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Throughout the hearing, airport workers shared emotional stories about struggling to make enough to survive in the Bay Area — doing everything from taking on second jobs to subsisting on diets of rice and oatmeal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And yet, the employees displayed immense pride in their work, sporting T-shirts with the slogan “We Make SFO Fly” splashed across the back.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Noyra Gonzalez, a wheelchair agent who spends her days helping people get to and from their gates, told KQED: “At the end of the day, it’s a very fulfilling job because we’re helping people that actually need the help.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gonzalez said that she cannot afford her own apartment and only recently upgraded from her aunt’s couch to a room in a shared home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I had to sleep on a couch in order to make ends meet … Many of my co-workers sleep at the parking lot in their cars, and some others sleep in the airport because they have two or three jobs, so they basically live at the airport,” Gonzalez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, airport workers in Los Angeles won a $30 an hour wage, to be phased in by 2028. There, a coalition of airlines — along with other industry groups that employ service workers — tried to force a citywide vote on the new laws, claiming they would lead to layoffs and deliver a fresh blow to the tourism industry, after COVID-19 led to major losses, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-05-14/council-hikes-hotel-minimum-wage-despite-warnings-from-tourism-companies\">\u003cem>Los Angeles Times\u003c/em>\u003c/a> reported.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sanjay Garla, first vice president of SEIU-USWW, a 50,000-person union that fought for the gains in Los Angeles, said that the low wages are ultimately the airline’s responsibility. The airlines, which set the overall contracting prices, have pushed to keep them low despite record profits, Garla said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A report by Airport Workers United, a national airport workers union, shared ahead of the meeting, stated that every individual domestic airline in the “Big Four” — American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines — saw record revenues in 2025 and net profits of about $39.5 billion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is just such a contrast between the evident wealth of that airport and the working conditions of the lowest wage workers at the airport,” Mandelman told KQED after the hearing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He confirmed that the board could step in, saying, “We have legislated around the airport in the past, and we could do it again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/adahlstromeckman\">\u003cem>Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>After a two-year legal battle and several rebrands, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-bay-oakland-international-airport\">Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport \u003c/a>is here to stay — the name, that is.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city of San Francisco and the Port of Oakland announced a settlement on Tuesday, announcing that both parties will drop their lawsuits over a trademark dispute related to the airport’s renaming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re proud Oakland fought for, and preserved the right to retain our airport’s full name that puts Oakland first and recognizes OAK’s location on the San Francisco Bay,” said Mary Richardson, attorney for the Port of Oakland. “We believe more awareness of the airports in the region benefits all consumers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In April 2024, the Oakland airport \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11983384/san-francisco-sues-oakland-over-plan-to-change-airport-name\">caused a stir \u003c/a>with its decision to rename itself, citing a need to “raise more geographic awareness” and draw more traffic to the less-frequented traveling hub across the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The original choice? “The San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A week after the rechristening, City Attorney David Chiu \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11983384/san-francisco-sues-oakland-over-plan-to-change-airport-name\">swiftly slapped the Port\u003c/a> with a lawsuit, telling KQED at the time that “Oakland intentionally designed their new rename to divert those who were unfamiliar with Bay Area geography.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12000413\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12000413\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240815-CITYATTORNEYDEEPFAKES-06-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240815-CITYATTORNEYDEEPFAKES-06-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240815-CITYATTORNEYDEEPFAKES-06-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240815-CITYATTORNEYDEEPFAKES-06-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240815-CITYATTORNEYDEEPFAKES-06-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240815-CITYATTORNEYDEEPFAKES-06-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240815-CITYATTORNEYDEEPFAKES-06-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">City Attorney David Chiu speaks during a press conference at City Hall in San Francisco on Aug. 15, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He also alleged that the airport intended to “mislead the public in suggesting that Oakland might have a business relationship with SFO, which it does not.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A federal district judge ruled in favor of San Francisco, awarding a preliminary injunction that prevented Oakland from proceeding with its new name, but the Port of Oakland wasn’t ready to raise the white flag just yet — it filed an appeal through the Ninth Circuit court, and presented a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11985629/its-official-oakland-port-once-again-votes-to-change-airport-name-to-san-francisco-bay-oakland-international-airport\">new name\u003c/a>: The Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Switching the first two terms around, however, did not cut it with San Francisco city officials, who \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12047645/now-its-the-oakland-san-francisco-bay-airport-sfo-still-isnt-happy\">balked\u003c/a> at the adjustment as relatively the same as the prior name.[aside postID=news_12079892 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/240412-OAKAirport-007-BL_qed-1-1020x680.jpg']But as of Tuesday, the city seemed to come around — in a statement, Chiu celebrated the resolution, calling it one “that accomplishes Oakland’s goals while still protecting the San Francisco International Airport trademark.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco International Airport’s director, Mike Nakornkhet, echoed Chiu’s remarks, saying that the agreement “provides clarity for travelers to make informed decisions about travel through our respective airports.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Tuesday’s agreement, the Oakland airport may keep this current iteration under several conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First, the words “San Francisco” cannot appear larger than “Oakland” on its displays and marketing materials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In online advertising, the airport must refrain from using keywords such as “San Francisco Airport,” “SF Airport,” and “San Francisco International Airport,” terms related to the origin of San Francisco’s trademark infringement claims against Oakland airport’s renaming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And finally, Oakland’s airport agreed not to add “SF” to its existing IATA code, which means that it’s still just OAK.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In April 2024, the Oakland airport \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11983384/san-francisco-sues-oakland-over-plan-to-change-airport-name\">caused a stir \u003c/a>with its decision to rename itself, citing a need to “raise more geographic awareness” and draw more traffic to the less-frequented traveling hub across the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The original choice? “The San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A week after the rechristening, City Attorney David Chiu \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11983384/san-francisco-sues-oakland-over-plan-to-change-airport-name\">swiftly slapped the Port\u003c/a> with a lawsuit, telling KQED at the time that “Oakland intentionally designed their new rename to divert those who were unfamiliar with Bay Area geography.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12000413\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12000413\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240815-CITYATTORNEYDEEPFAKES-06-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240815-CITYATTORNEYDEEPFAKES-06-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240815-CITYATTORNEYDEEPFAKES-06-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240815-CITYATTORNEYDEEPFAKES-06-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240815-CITYATTORNEYDEEPFAKES-06-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240815-CITYATTORNEYDEEPFAKES-06-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/240815-CITYATTORNEYDEEPFAKES-06-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">City Attorney David Chiu speaks during a press conference at City Hall in San Francisco on Aug. 15, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He also alleged that the airport intended to “mislead the public in suggesting that Oakland might have a business relationship with SFO, which it does not.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A federal district judge ruled in favor of San Francisco, awarding a preliminary injunction that prevented Oakland from proceeding with its new name, but the Port of Oakland wasn’t ready to raise the white flag just yet — it filed an appeal through the Ninth Circuit court, and presented a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11985629/its-official-oakland-port-once-again-votes-to-change-airport-name-to-san-francisco-bay-oakland-international-airport\">new name\u003c/a>: The Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Switching the first two terms around, however, did not cut it with San Francisco city officials, who \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12047645/now-its-the-oakland-san-francisco-bay-airport-sfo-still-isnt-happy\">balked\u003c/a> at the adjustment as relatively the same as the prior name.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"id": "baycurious",
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"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
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},
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},
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"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
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"order": 8
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"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
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"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
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"order": 1
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"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
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"title": "Forum",
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"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 9
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"meta": {
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"source": "WNYC"
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"id": "fresh-air",
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"hidden-brain": {
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"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
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"source": "NPR"
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"how-i-built-this": {
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"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
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"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
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"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"jerrybrown": {
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"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"order": 18
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},
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"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
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"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
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},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
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"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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