Activists rally outside the San Francisco Police Department headquarters in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, March 25, 2026. Activists argue that SFPD unlawfully assisted federal immigration authorities during an arrest of migrants at the San Francisco International Airport. (Alise Maripuu/Bay City News)
Alise Maripuu/Bay City News
A coalition of local organizations filed a complaint against the San Francisco Police Department on Wednesday, accusing officers of unlawfully assisting federal immigration authorities during an arrest of two migrants at San Francisco International Airport over the weekend.
On Sunday night, federal immigration authorities arrested a mother and daughter from Guatemala at SFO. They were identified as Angelina Lopez-Jimenez and Wendy Godinez-Lopez and had a final order of removal from an immigration judge since 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Article continues below this ad
“What happened at SFO last Sunday night, was nothing short of horrifying,” said Angela Chan, an assistant chief attorney at the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, in a speech at a rally Wednesday.
“What pushed this from horrific to infuriating to enraging was what surrounded them,” Chan said. “A wall of SFPD officers shielding ICE as if it was their job to protect federal agents instead of the people of San Francisco.”
The scene, which was captured on video by bystanders, showed SFPD officers forming a circle around the agents as they tried to arrest the mother.
Make SFGATE a preferred source so your search results prioritize writing by actual people, not AI.
Add Preferred Source
FREE SF, a coalition of local organizations that advocate for immigrant rights and community safety, allege that SFPD violated the city’s and state’s sanctuary laws, which prohibit local law enforcement from aiding in the arrest or detention of people by agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Article continues below this ad
“You don’t need a law degree to understand the SFPD violated state and local sanctuary laws that night,” Chan said. “They were there to protect ICE. They were not there to protect the mom or her little girl who were being abducted in the middle of the airport.”
SFPD said in a statement that it responded to the scene in order to keep the public safe.
“Consistent with our City Charter, state law, and SFPD department policy, we do not assist in the enforcement of civil federal immigration laws,” SFPD said. “SFPD officers were not involved in the incident but remained at the scene to maintain public safety.”
FREE SF held a rally outside SFPD’s headquarters on Wednesday before filing the complaint.
Article continues below this ad
“ICE out of SF!” the group chanted. “ICE out of airports!”
FREE SF also filed public records requests, seeking to uncover any communications between SFPD and ICE related to the arrest.
Laura Valdez is the executive director of Mission Action, an organization that provides wraparound support services for low-income and immigrant communities in San Francisco. She and other activists at the rally are concerned that SFPD’s actions during the arrest at SFO will deter migrant residents from contacting police when they need help from law enforcement.
Article continues below this ad
“I worry that our immigrant community will not feel safe calling the San Francisco Police Department,” Valdez said. “They deserve to not fear and not worry that SFPD is not there to serve and protect them when they are a victim of crime, when they are in need of those services from San Francisco Police Department.”
Copyright © 2026 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.