The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has refuted claim by Sundas ‘Sunny’ Naqvi, a US Citizen of Pakistan origin, that she was detained for 40 hours when she returned to the US after travelling abroad. Her family had claimed that since her arrival at Chicago O’Hare International Airport from Turkey, Sunny along with other members of the group were detained by DHS and that she was let go only after 40 hours of detention.
DHS took to X to deny the claim officially and wrote that Naqvi was stopped for law enforcement checks where her baggage was examined and that she departed the Customers and Border Protection only after 90 minutes.
“Ms. Naqvi was not taken into custody or transferred to ICE for detention,” sad the X post by DHS.
Meanwhile, a CBS report said that Naqvi had been travelling with colleagues and they were scheduled to fly to India, though not all of them were allowed to board.
The report also said that everyone in the group was of Pakistani descent — including Naqvi, although she holds US citizenship. Naqvi and the others traveled to Bulgaria and Austria instead. They were detained when they returned to the US.
What all happened with Sunny Naqvi, as per her family
Naqvi’s family alleged that she was held for 30 hours at Chicago O’Hare International Airport before being transferred to the Broadview Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility.
Also Read: US citizen Sunny Naqvi detained for over 40 hours after failed India trip
Her relatives said they briefly lost access to the location being shared from her phone. Although the device had earlier shown her at the Broadview facility, federal agents allegedly continued to tell the family that she was not in custody.
On Sunday, a group of supporters gathered outside the Broadview detention centre demanding Naqvi’s release. According to the family, Naqvi was later transferred to a facility in Dodge County, Wisconsin, and released early Saturday morning. In total, the 28-year-old spent more than 40 hours in custody across several facilities, the family claims.
Her relatives added that her phone battery had died after her release, forcing her to hitchhike with a passing driver to reach a nearby hotel, where her family eventually picked her up.