WATCH: United Airlines Employee Threatens to Call ICE on Family During SFO Ticket Dispute

A family from the Bay Area experienced distress after a United Airlines employee allegedly threatened to call ICE during a ticketing issue at San Francisco International Airport.

A Bay Area family says they feared possible detention by immigration authorities after a United Airlines employee allegedly threatened to call ICE on them during a ticketing dispute at San Francisco International Airport.

According to NBC Bay Area, Julio Varela of San Ramon said the incident occurred on July 14 while his family was trying to depart for Montreal, Canada. The confrontation was captured on video, which later spread widely on social media.

Varela said the dispute began when his daughter’s airline ticket incorrectly listed her last name as her middle name because of a booking error made months earlier. He said a United representative had previously advised the family to arrive early at SFO so airport staff could correct the mistake.

After waiting for several hours, Varela said an employee from a United partner airline was close to resolving the issue when a United worker intervened and refused further assistance.

Varela said the employee became dismissive and told the family she did not care whether they were able to travel that day.

When he began recording the interaction and asked for the employee’s name so he could file a complaint, Varela said the worker started recording him as well and threatened to involve immigration authorities.

In the viral video, the employee can be heard saying, “Maybe we should call ICE on you.”

After Varela asked her to repeat the statement, she replied, “Maybe you need to be, because you don’t act like a citizen. Get away.”

Varela said the comments were especially upsetting because he is a US citizen and because of the current political climate surrounding immigration enforcement.

He told NBC Bay Area that the exchange left his family anxious about what might happen when they returned from Canada.

The confrontation also appeared to become physical. Varela said the employee struck his hand and phone while he was recording, causing the video to briefly cut out. He alleges the contact amounted to an assault.

United Airlines said it is reviewing the incident.

“We’re looking into the interaction in this video, but don’t have anything additional to share at this time,” the airline said in a statement.

The union representing the employee said it was aware of the video but had not independently verified its authenticity. The union added that, if the footage is authentic, the comments shown do not reflect its values and any employment-related issues would be handled through the procedures established in the collective bargaining agreement.

San Francisco International Airport had not publicly commented on the incident at the time of reporting.

Varela said neither United Airlines nor airport officials contacted his family before their return flight to assure them they would not face immigration-related problems upon arriving back in San Francisco. It was not immediately clear whether the family encountered any additional issues after landing.

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