Just before 10 p.m. on March 22, an employee at a magazine and snack kiosk in SFO Terminal 3 placed the first emergency call about an incident that would soon make headlines across the country.

The kiosk worker told the San Francisco Police Department’s airport bureau that there was a woman, with a 10- or 11-year-old girl, who was struggling with two men.

“A lady is crying right next to … San Francisco Travel News,” he said, describing her as a Hispanic woman in a black sweater, possibly in her 50s. “They’re having a commotion. The lady doesn’t want to go. You should send police over here.”

Recordings of emergency calls, internal police radio communications, and documents obtained by The Standard shed more light on how the SFPD dealt with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who were arresting a woman accompanied by her daughter in the terminal. The police department  faced criticism from immigrants rights advocates over whether its officers had upheld or violated the sanctuary policy forbidding them from assisting immigration agents.

ICE agents, tipped off by the TSA (opens in new tab), detained Angelina Lopez-Jimenez and Wendy Godinez-Jimenez as they tried to travel to Florida. A deportation order for the family had been issued in 2019, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The family was deported to Guatemala on March 24, the DHS said.

On March 22, minutes after the kiosk worker placed the emergency phone call, SFPD officers were assigned to check out what was happening. 

An alarmed United Airlines employee called 911 with clearer details at 10:03 p.m.

“It looks like I have two individuals. They are trying to force another passenger to be handcuffed,” the airline employee said. 

Within minutes, police were calling for backup.

“We need more units,” the first SFPD officer to arrive said over the radio at 10:06. “They’re are drawing a big crowd.”

It’s unclear when the police determined that ICE agents were involved, but they were soon discussing that possibility over the radio. (The audio file obtained by The Standard through a records request was condensed to remove dead air, making it difficult to know the precise time of some statements.)

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“We’re getting further calls … possible ICE agents,” a woman said on the police radio. “But the people there are refusing to give any identification, and they’re trying to put cuffs on the female.”

The recording reveals the instructions given to the SFPD officers about how to interact with the federal agents and the crowd.

“If the ICE agents are affecting arrest, they shall do it alone unless they need police assistance for their safety,” a man said over the police channel. “Other than that, we are not to intervene. Copy?”

The man who told cops not to intervene then said that all available units should respond to the incident. At its height, there were 17 units assigned to respond, the records show.

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“They’re crowding the ICE agents,” said the officer who requested backup. Moments later, he said, “We’re not getting in the way. We just want to make sure they are not in any harm.”

Video on social media showed a tense scene. Police officers appeared to be arrayed in a row, creating a buffer between the crowd and the ICE agents making the arrest. 

The officer giving directions by radio reiterated instructions for the responding cops.

“All SFPD units stand clear. Just monitor the crowd. Do not assist ICE agents unless they are getting attacked or assaulted,” he said.

An officer monitoring the scene via a surveillance camera said he saw no one being assaulted. 

“We’re just standing by,” said the officer who called for more units. “We’re not involved.”

The recordings appear to vindicate the police department. The SFPD has defended the actions of the cops at SFO that night.

But Angela Chan, assistant chief attorney in the public defender’s office who has advocated for strengthening immigrant protections, said it appears that the SFPD officers overreacted and were more interested in protecting ICE agents than the public. 

“Airports are busy. People walk by. Crowds develop. But there was no public safety threat,” she said after listening to the police radio recording. “It appears they deployed a dozen police officers to the scene even though, according to the audio, there doesn’t appear to be any significant or immediate danger to the safety of the ICE agents.

“It’s who they are there to protect which is why there is a concern,” Chan added.

The SFPD has said there were Customs and Border Protection agents on hand as well. Their uniforms are similar to what police wear, making it tough to distinguish which agency officers belong to, according to the department. 

SFPD Chief Derrick Lew, in a letter to Supervisor Matt Dorsey on April 9, defended and explained the officers’ actions after a lieutenant confirmed that ICE agents were conducting an immigration action.

“From that point forward, SFPD’s role was limited to public safety. Officers maintained order and helped de-escalate the scene through their presence. SFPD did not participate in or assist with the enforcement action,” Lew wrote. “SFPD did not participate in or assist with the enforcement action.”

Lisa Hill, a professor of criminal justice at Cal State East Bay and a former probation officer, said the police department should be more forthcoming about the role its officers are supposed to play when called to an immigration arrest.

“Things like this put a wedge between the police and the community,” she said. “For San Francisco police, they need to be more transparent about what their policy is and where they fell short and where they did very well.”

After the incident, Supervisors Bilal Mahmood and Chyanne Chen introduced legislation requiring SFPD officers to verify the credential of federal agents conducting enforcement operations and document the interaction with body-worn cameras.

When asked for comment about the recordings obtained by The Standard, an SFPD spokesman referred to its previous statements about the incident.

“Consistent with our city charter, state law, and SFPD department policy, we do not assist in the enforcement of civil federal immigration laws,” the statement said. “SFPD officers were not involved in the incident but remained at the scene to maintain public safety. … SFPD will continue to ensure public safety at SFO and in the city of San Francisco.”