‘Blatantly false’: Homeland Security says US citizen Sonny Naqvi was never detained, allowed 90 minutes to leave

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security denied claims by U.S. citizen Sunny Naqvi that she was detained and released after 43 hours, saying Naqvi was released within 90 minutes of arriving in the United States. Naqvi was not detained or transferred to ICE custody, the Department of Homeland Security said, adding that she was merely referred for secondary inspection The Department of Homeland Security said: “The passenger’s claims are completely false. Sunny Naqvi arrived at O’Hare Airport at 10:21 a.m. on March 5, 2026. CBP officers transferred her to secondary unit for additional inspections based on law enforcement inspections and conducted a baggage inspection. Ms. Naqvi departed CBP within 90 minutes of arrival in the United States. Ms. Naqvi was not detained and was not transferred to ICE custody.” According to reports from Naqvi’s sister, Sunny was supposed to travel to India, but international travel plans fell through. A group of six people continued their domestic travel. When they returned to the Chicago airport, all of them were detained because of what Sonny’s lawyer called “a strange travel history.” Naqvi’s family claimed she was detained at the airport and then flown to Broadview. They claimed they had lost Naqvi’s location, and federal agents continued to tell them Naqvi was not in custody. Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison said the government was lying from the beginning because they detained U.S. citizens without due process. All six members of the group are legally in the United States. Morrison said Naqvi was detained from Thursday to Saturday. As Morrison tells it, Naqvi walked to a nearby gas station on Saturday morning and hitched a ride to a Holiday Inn where she sought refuge before her sister contacted her. Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt said they have no record of Naqvi being booked, taken into custody or released from jail.