U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested an illegal alien from Ecuador as she tried to board a Southwest Airlines flight at Denver International Airport on Monday.
The woman was taken into custody right on the jetway while bystanders filmed and screamed, “Help us! ICE is here!”
According to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security, 27-year-old Chantal Alejandra Morales Rojas, an Ecuadorian national, entered the United States on October 20, 2024, on a visa that expired January 4, 2025.
She overstayed that visa and remained in the country illegally. She is now in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
“On July 20, 2026, ICE arrested Chantal Alejandra Morales Rojas, an illegal alien from Ecuador. She entered the country on October 20, 2024, on a visa that would allow her to stay in the country until January 4, 2025. In violation of our nation’s laws, she overstayed her visa. She remains in ICE custody pending removal proceedings,” DHS said in a statement to CBS News.
Video circulating online shows plainclothes federal agents confronting the woman on the Southwest jet bridge as she prepared to board a flight to Oakland, California. Chantal’s friend, Alicia Dantzker, who was traveling with her, began filming, demanding a lawyer, and shouting at the officers.
Agents escorted Morales Rojas out a door onto the tarmac and into a Homeland Security vehicle while the companion yelled obscenities and accused them of being “evil.”
A Southwest gate agent stepped in and warned the disruptive passenger that she would not be allowed to board if she continued interfering.
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A fundraiser for a woman living in California who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Colorado has surpassed $100,000 in under two days.
The GoFundMe was set up after agents detained Chantal Alejandra Morales Rojas on the jetway of a Southwest Airlines flight at Denver International Airport on Monday night. The Ecuadoran national initially arrived in the U.S. on a temporary visa and had applied for asylum, according to the fundraiser page.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Newsweek Rojas did not have to be in ICE detention—she could self-deport.
Southwest denied alerting DHS about Morales Rojas’ immigration status. The airline explained that the Transportation Security Administration and DHS already have access to passenger information through the federal security-screening process.
The airline also said employees are instructed to ensure that law-enforcement officers present the appropriate legal documentation before conducting operations in gate areas. Denver International Airport similarly noted that federal agencies have jurisdiction at the airport and are not required to notify airport officials before taking action.
According to the fundraising campaign:
This fundraiser is for a beloved Oakland resident who spent two years as the au pair for an ultimate frisbee family, becoming an integral part of their lives and the local community. Chantal entered the United States lawfully in 2023 with a J-1 visa as an au pair, complied with the terms of her visa, and has a recent pending application with the immigration authorities that would provide her with status. She is now living and working in Oakland on a work permit. Recently, while trying to return home to Oakland, she was detained by ICE at the Denver airport. In a shocking turn of events, she was taken from the jetway and hustled into an unmarked van on the tarmac. With the help of friends and supporters, we have tracked her down to an ICE facility, and are now doing everything we can to secure the legal support she needs for the long fight ahead.
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