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Guatemalan mother and daughter detained at San Francisco airport, deported within 36 hours

Mar 30, 2026 · San Francisco, CA, Guatemala

Guatemalan mother and daughter detained at San Francisco airport, deported within 36 hours

On March 22, 2026, ICE agents in plainclothes detained Angelina Lopez-Jimenez, 41, a Guatemalan national, and her 9-year-old daughter at San Francisco International Airport after TSA alerted ICE to their presence on a passenger list. Lopez-Jimenez was handcuffed and placed in a wheelchair at Terminal 3 after resisting the agents. She had a final removal order issued by an immigration judge in 2019. Both mother and daughter were transferred to Texas and deported to Guatemala within approximately 36 hours. The detention prompted Democratic lawmakers to condemn the action and community groups to protest, with some alleging San Francisco police illegally assisted ICE in violation of the city's sanctuary policies.

Timeline

Mar 30, 2026Democratic lawmakers condemned detention; community groups protested and raised allegations of illegal San Francisco police assistance to ICE
Mar 24, 2026Mother and daughter deported to Guatemala approximately 36 hours after detention
Mar 22, 2026Angelina Lopez-Jimenez and her 9-year-old daughter detained by plainclothes ICE agents at San Francisco International Airport after TSA alert

Sources

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