'Elderly' nanny arrested by ICE outside employer's home, freed after judge's order

A 66-year-old nanny was taken from outside her employer’s home in a quiet corner of San Francisco on Friday.

She was released just 12 hours later after a federal judge ordered her freedom.

The woman, a Russian national who has lived in the United States for more than 12 years, was arrested by federal immigration officers in the city’s Diamond Heights neighbourhood while on her way to work, a local outlet NBC Bay Area reported.

According to her lawyer, Ghassan Shamieh, the incident unfolded shortly after 9:15am when he received a frantic call from her employer.

The nanny had been detained outside the family’s home by 'masked people' who arrived in an unmarked car and took her away, he said.

The woman was held for roughly half a day before being released following a judge’s intervention, the San Francisco Chronicle said.

The arrest drew a swift response from the city’s mayor, Daniel Lurie, who sought to distance local authorities from the operation.

"My office is aware of the immigration enforcement action in Diamond Heights earlier today," he wrote in a statement posted on X.

"In line with our city’s longstanding policies, the San Francisco Police Department was not involved and does not assist with federal civil immigration enforcement. That will not change as long as I’m mayor," he added.