SFO and Airport
Airport news.
13 stories · 1 meeting summary · Aug 26, 2026 – Nov 4, 2026
Stories
Wednesday, November 4, 20261 story →
ICE Detains 23-Year-Old UC Berkeley Student at San Francisco International Airport
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained 23-year-old Paula Albornoz Hernandez, a UC Berkeley student seeking asylum from Colombia, at San Francisco International Airport on Friday, her lawyer Nikolas De Bremaeker said. She was later moved to a detention facility in California City, and De Bremaeker said he filed a habeas petition arguing the arrest was unlawful.
Wednesday, October 21, 20261 story →
‘Separated from family and terrified’: Schiff raises alarm over SFO detention center
Sen. Adam Schiff said people held at the immigration detention facility at San Francisco International Airport are still unable to contact family members or attorneys.
Monday, October 19, 20261 story →
San Francisco ‘flight roulette’ game sends one lucky traveler to Fiji
Fifteen travelers gathered at San Francisco International Airport on a September afternoon for a contest in which only one would fly out that night, with the destination withheld, World Journal reports. The winner's trip was to Fiji.
Sunday, October 18, 20261 story →
‘Unruly’ Passenger Forces Singapore Airlines Flight to Return to SFO Hours After Takeoff
Singapore Airlines flight SQ31 landed back at San Francisco International Airport about nine hours after leaving for Singapore because a passenger became unruly and injured himself, the airline said. The pilots turned the plane around, the Strait Times first reported.
Thursday, October 8, 20261 story →
Held for days at SFO, detained immigrants are cut off from their lawyers
Immigrants detained at San Francisco International Airport are held for days without contact with their attorneys, leaving them unable to file for release. The story describes a gap in legal access for people held at the airport.
Sunday, October 4, 20261 story →
Sen. Padilla makes unannounced visit to SFO immigration holding site
Sen. Alex Padilla made an unannounced visit to a facility at San Francisco International Airport used to hold immigration detainees, entering after Customs and Border Protection officers let him in, according to KRON4. Padilla said his office had received reports of people detained at the airport and that the site is not a formal ICE detention facility.
Saturday, October 3, 20261 story →
Sen. Alex Padilla Makes Surprise Visit to SFO’s ICE Detention Center
Sen. Alex Padilla made an unannounced visit Thursday to the room at San Francisco International Airport where immigration agents hold people, KQED reports. Padilla said the airport has been pulled into the president's mass detention and deportation campaign. The room is a 3,000-square-foot windowless space in the International Terminal, according to a San Francisco Chronicle investigation last month.
Tuesday, September 22, 20261 story →
How the Trump Administration Is Using SFO as a ‘De Facto Detention Center’
Customs and Border Protection has been detaining immigrants at San Francisco International Airport, in some cases for more than a week, and immigration arrests at airports have risen in recent months, according to reporting by the San Francisco Chronicle. KQED's Sara DiNatale described how the airport has become what the Chronicle calls a de facto detention center.
Monday, September 7, 20261 story →
Windowless room in SFO terminal is used for immigrant detention, lawyers say
World Journal reports that a windowless room in SFO's international terminal is used to hold people in immigration custody while they are in transit. Immigration lawyers and people who have been held there describe the room, officially called an in-transit lounge, as a jail.
Sunday, September 6, 20261 story →
Low clouds bring major delays to SFO as Labor Day travel peaks
Low clouds over San Francisco International Airport on Saturday limited takeoffs and landings and caused wide delays during the Labor Day travel rush. The FAA briefly issued a ground delay program, and some arriving flights were held at their departure points or in the air.
Wednesday, September 2, 20261 story →
‘A form of torture’: SFO travelers grapple with hidden airport detention center
Immigrants at SFO, including green-card holders, have been held for more than a week in a little-known airport detention space, according to The San Francisco Standard. People passing through the terminal said they did not know the facility existed.
Friday, August 28, 20261 story →
ICE Agent’s Gun Found at SFO the Day Before High-Profile Arrest of Ukrainian Woman
An ICE agent left a gun in a Terminal 2 restroom at San Francisco International Airport last month, the day before the arrest of Ukrainian immigrant Iryna Gorb. The agent returned to retrieve it while police were on scene, according to KQED.
Wednesday, August 26, 20261 story →
Activists urge SFO to limit ICE access, but airport officials say their hands are tied
Activists asked San Francisco airport officials to limit Immigration and Customs Enforcement access at SFO, but officials said they cannot. The airport commission rebuffed the calls.