DHS Denies Claims That US Citizen Was in Border Patrol Custody For 2 Days

SKOKIE, IL —The Department of Homeland Security denied claims that it detained a U.S. citizen from Skokie for two days at O'Hare Airport.

Returning from a work trip to Turkey, Sunny Naqvi said she and five of her colleagues were detained by federal agents last week and were held at the airport for 30 hours before being brought to the Broadview detention center.

DHS addressed the claims on social media, calling Naqvi's claims blatantly false. According to Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection officers referred Naqvi for additional inspection of her baggage based on law enforcement checks.

Authorities said she was released within 90 minutes of her arrival.

"The passenger’s claims are blatantly FALSE,"DHS wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Ms. Naqvi was not taken into custody or transferred to ICE for detention."

The denial came days after elected officials called for transparency from federal authorities about the incident.

Naqvi's attorney and elected officials said they are considering filing a lawsuit, but they haven't yet.