A California man says he is worried about returning home after a United Airlines employee allegedly threatened to call immigration authorities on him during a ticketing dispute at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
As per NBC Bay Area, Julio Varela who is a resident of San Ramon, California, said the incident happened on July 14 while he, his wife and their two daughters were traveling to Montreal, Canada.
Family says ticket issue led to confrontation
Varela said family arrived at the United check-in counter around 8:15am for an 11:40am flight to fix an issue with his daughter’s ticket, which had her middle name listed in the last name field, as per People.
After waiting nearly three hours, an agent from a partner airline was close to resolving the issue, but a United employee stepped in and dismissed the family. Varela said, “She walks over and says, ‘What, you’re still here? We already told you we can do this,’ and she just starts complaining about it. She said, ‘I don’t care. That’s her problem. Take it up with her. I don’t care if you guys fly out today or not.’,” as per NBC News.
Frustrated, Varela pulled out his phone to ask for the employee’s name. In the viral video, the employee is heard saying, “Maybe we should call ICE on you.” When Varela asked her to repeat it, she said, “Maybe you need to be, because you don’t act like a citizen. Get away.”
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Varela calls ICE remark racist, alleges assault
Varela said, “It infuriated me, because I am a citizen, number one, and for her to threaten me like that with ICE, especially with the state of politics now in America and with what ICE is doing,” according to NBC News.
He also told People, “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. 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.”
The confrontation also turned physical, according to Varela. The video shows the employee’s hand reaching toward the camera before Varela’s phone goes dark. He alleges the employee hit his hand and phone. “When she pushed me, I squeezed it, so then I turned it back on again,” he said, as per NBC News.
Varela added, “Every time I fly, I’m like, ‘Are they going to let me in?’ … You could be an American citizen born here. It doesn’t matter.”
What did United Airlines and union say
A United Airlines spokesperson said, “We’re looking into the interaction in this video, but don’t have anything additional to share at this time.”
The employee wore an ID badge identifying her as a member of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) union. A spokesperson for the union said, “We are aware of a video being circulated online, but we have no verification of its authenticity or the full context. 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,” per People.
