A Delta pilot has been recorded on video being arrested by ICE agents who stormed the cockpit just moments after landing a plane in San Francisco.
Delta Flight 2809 had just completed its journey from Minneapolis and was taxiing at San Francisco International Airport around 9:35PM Saturday when the unexpected drama unfolded, as reported by the New York Post.
As passengers prepared to disembark, a swarm of about 10 federal officers, including agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), suddenly stormed the aircraft.
According to reports, the agents moved quickly through the cabin before making their way into the cockpit.
“A group of people with badges, guns, and different agency vests/markings were pushing their way up through the aisle to the cockpit,” passenger Sarah Christianson told the San Francisco Chronicle.
The agents then placed the co-pilot in handcuffs, escorted him down the aisle, and removed him from the plane — all in full view of stunned travelers.
“They stormed the cockpit, cuffed the co-pilot, arrested him, walked him down the aisle, and ushered him off the plane,” one passenger recalled.
Another team of officials soon returned to collect the pilot’s belongings. Christianson noted that even the flight crew seemed blindsided by the incident.
The remaining pilot reportedly addressed the passengers afterward and admitted he had no idea what was going on either.
Fox News later reported the arrest was related to charges involving child sexual abuse material.
HSI, a division of the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is often associated with high-profile immigration enforcement, especially under the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration crackdown.
Christianson described the moment as both intense and disturbing.
“It was rage-inducing to see someone being disappeared right in front of me,” she said — echoing the language critics often use to describe ICE operations targeting undocumented immigrants.
The Post and Fox News report that Delta Air Lines deferred any questions to law enforcement.
In another incident involving ICE agents, TikTok star Khaby Lame was detained on June 6 at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.
Officials say the issue stemmed from Lame allegedly overstaying his visa after flying into the country on April 30.
The Senegal-born, Italian-raised content creator had been in the U.S. to attend major events, including the Met Gala in May. But by early June, his visa status reportedly triggered ICE action.
A senior Department of Homeland Security official confirmed to the New York Post: “US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Seringe Khabane Lame, 25, a citizen of Italy, June 6, at the Harry Reid International Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada for overstaying the terms of his visa.
Lame was granted voluntary departure June 6 and has since self-deported the US.”
His quiet departure from the U.S. took many by surprise, especially given his status as a globally recognized content creator with brand deals from giants like Doritos and Boss.
The situation unfolded amid a renewed wave of deportations under President Donald Trump, who retook office in January.
Civil rights organizations and protestors in cities like Los Angeles have voiced outrage over the growing number of immigration raids - some of which, they argue, have ensnared people legally living in the U.S.