Well-Known San Francisco Photographer Detained by ICE at Airport, Sparking Backlash
Shocking footage of a longtime San Francisco photographer being arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at an airport has sparked outrage online.
Ukrainian professional photographer Iryna Gorb — who has lived in the U.S. for 16 years — was captured on video being detained by ICE agents at San Francisco International Airport on Wednesday after a flight home from Portland. 38-year-old Gorb is well-known locally in San Francisco and specializes in fashion and portrait photography.
In the widely-circulated footage, Gorb — who has worked in San Francisco for over a decade — begged for help from onlookers. She said the ICE agents, who were in plain clothes, were choking her as she sat on the floor during her arrest and pleaded with them to let her go.
Gorb is currently in detention at California City Detention Facility in Kern County — with authorities saying the professional photographer had overstayed her visa by 15 years.
However, Gorb’s arrest has gained widespread attention in San Francisco — with shocked locals describing the photographer and part-time barista as a longtime member of the city’s community.
“She’s lived in San Francisco for a decade; she works here; she has friends here; she’s part of our community, and they just grabbed her and want to deport her back to a war zone,” California State Senator Scott Wiener tells ABC 7 News.
A group of friends launched a GoFundMe campaign to help raise funds for a lawyer to represent her. According to ABC7 News, Gorb’s immigration status had been a source of anxiety for her, with ongoing concerns linked to the war in Ukraine. Her parents left Ukraine following Russia’s invasion and now live in Slovakia. The fundraiser for the photographer has surpassed its $25,000 USD goal, raising $47,003 on GoFundMe.
According to Gorb’s website, she developed a passion for photography in her mid-teens and attended college in Boston. She has worked photo jobs since the age of 21, doing fashion, family, maternity, wedding, and portrait photography. She worked in a photo studio in Chelsea, New York, before eventually settling in San Francisco.
In a statement to the San Francisco Standard, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says that Gorb is “an illegal alien” who entered the U.S. in 2010 on a visa that expired in 2011. When officers approached her, she resisted and attempted to flee.
“Gorb overstayed her visa and remained in the United States illegally for 15 years in violation of our nation’s laws,” the DHS says in a statement. “She will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.”
Image creditsHeader photo via Instagram/@doria4richmond (left) and Facebook (right).
