Julio Varela, a 54-year-old U.S. citizen from San Ramon, was told by a United Airlines employee to act like a citizen
and threatened with an ICE report during a July 14, 2026, ticketing dispute at San Francisco International Airport. The airline is currently investigating the incident following the emergence of a viral video.
Escalation at the San Francisco International Airport Counter
The encounter began when Julio Varela and his family arrived at the airport for a flight to Montreal. According to Varela, the family had spent roughly three hours attempting to correct a booking error where his daughter’s last name had been mistakenly entered as her middle name. The situation reached a breaking point when, after being passed between United Airlines and Air Canada counters, a United employee intervened in the conversation.
Varela reported that the employee was dismissive of the family’s predicament. She said ‘I already told you. I can’t do anything. Whether you fly out or not, I don’t care,’
Varela told ABC7 Bay Area. This response prompted Varela to label the worker rude
and lazy,
at which point he began recording the interaction on his mobile phone to document the dispute.
Threats of Immigration Enforcement
The conflict intensified when the employee began recording Varela in return. During the exchange, the staffer suggested involving federal authorities. When Varela questioned the remark, the employee added, Maybe you need to be.
Because you don’t act like a citizen.
Varela, a naturalized citizen, expressed profound shock and anger at the suggestion. If she is going to have the gall to say ‘I’m going to call ICE’ on a Hispanic person, Mexican, and to say that in San Francisco…
Varela told ABC7 Bay Area. He noted that the experience was particularly distressing for his children, who witnessed the heated exchange.
The confrontation also included a physical component. According to Varela, the employee reached toward his phone during the filming, which he described as an attempt to push the device away. That’s obviously when I lost it even more because I was already angered and bothered angered by the way she didn’t care,
he explained to ABC7 Bay Area.
Airline and Union Responses
United Airlines has acknowledged the incident but has provided limited information regarding the status of the employee involved. In an emailed statement provided to CBS News Bay Area and other outlets, the airline stated: We’re looking into the interaction in this video, but don’t have anything additional to share at this time.
The IAM Union, which represents the employee, also addressed the video. A spokesperson for the union stated that they had not verified the authenticity or the full context of the footage.
Lingering Concerns Over Detainment
Following the July 14 incident, Varela’s family proceeded with their trip to Canada, though the experience left them with significant anxiety regarding their return to the United States. Varela expressed to NBC News that he feared potential detention by immigration authorities upon arriving back at the airport. While the family ultimately returned without being detained, the incident has prompted Varela to speak publicly about the necessity of standing up against perceived discrimination.
I definitely wanted others to see, and I also want other immigrants or minorities to know — whether they’re legal, illegal, whether they have their residency or their citizenship — that if this happens to you, stand up,
Varela told Latimes. For now, the outcome of the airline’s internal investigation remains pending, and no further details regarding the employee’s employment status have been disclosed by United Airlines.
Worth a look
