United Airlines is investigating a viral video showing a United Airlines employee threatening to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on a Mexican American man at San Francisco International Airport last week. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
The incident erupted after Julio Varela of San Ramon grew upset at United Airlines staff for taking a long time to correct an error his family made when entering his daughter's name to buy a ticket for a flight to Canada, according to NBC News.
After three hours of waiting and a sour exchange with a United Airlines staffer, Varela pulled out his phone and demanded the woman identify herself.
"I'm asking for your name so I can report you," Varela said in a video that has attracted wide attention.
The United staffer responded by pulling out her own phone and recording him.
"Maybe we should call ICE on you," the woman replied. "You don't act like a citizen."
Varela, who is a naturalized US citizen, grew still more angry after that comment.
The two then traded volleys, with Varela repeatedly saying "say it again" as she responded: "Get out my face."
"United Airlines has a racist customer service lady!" Varela yells. "She's lazy as hell!"
Another United Airlines staffer can be seen sighing and rolling her eyes.
"We're looking into the interaction in this video, but don't have anything additional to share at this time," the airline wrote in an emailed statement.
Varela expressed concern about possibly being detained by ICE upon his return to the United States from Montreal, despite being a US citizen. But nothing happened when he returned, according to NBC News.