The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has rejected allegations that US citizen Sunny Naqvi was detained for more than 40 hours after arriving at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Describing the allegations made by Naqvi’s family and legal representatives as “blatantly false,” DHS stated that official records and surveillance footage show she was processed and allowed to leave within approximately 90 minutes.
What official DHS records say
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HERE ARE THE RECEIPTS:
As we said, Sunny Naqvi entered the CBP area at 10:21 am.
Surveillance footage of O’Hare CLEARLY shows her entering the secondary inspection at 10:46 am and leaving the secondary to the public area at 11:42 am
His claims of spending 43 hours in DHS custody… https://t.co/GkqWBLS6sn pic.twitter.com/SWOJmMulcy
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) March 11, 2026
According to the agency, she was referred for secondary inspection and entered the inspection area at 10:46 a.m. Surveillance footage, the department said, shows her leaving secondary inspection and returning to the public area at 11:42 a.m.
The department said CBP agents referred her to secondary inspection for additional police screening and baggage screening. He added that Naqvi left the CBP area approximately 90 minutes after her arrival in the United States and was not detained or transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for detention.
The passenger’s claims are blatantly FALSE.
Sunny Naqvi arrived at O’Hare at 10:21 a.m. on March 5, 2026. CBP officers referred her to the secondary school for additional inspection based on police checks and conducted a baggage screening. Ms. Naqvi left CBP within 90 minutes of… https://t.co/bzI2agd2FV
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) March 10, 2026
What Sunny Naqi’s family said
Previous reports cited Naqvi’s family and legal representatives as alleging that federal authorities had detained her for approximately 43 hours after landing at O’Hare. According to those accounts, officials had cited what was described as a “curious travel history” during questioning.
Reports also said that Naqvi’s relatives believed she had initially been detained at the airport before being transferred to an ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois, and then to a detention center in Dodge County, Wisconsin. DHS has disputed those claims, stating that she was never detained or transferred to ICE detention.
Who is Sunny Naqvi?
Naqvi, whose full name is Sundas “Sunny” Naqvi, is reportedly a 28-year-old American citizen born in Evanston, Illinois, and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. He had been traveling abroad with five colleagues before returning to the United States.
The group had originally planned to travel to India, but their plans changed after some members were reportedly unable to board their flight. They later traveled to Bulgaria and Austria before returning to the United States via Türkiye.
All six travelers were of Pakistani descent. Three were American citizens, including Naqvi, while the other three were Pakistani citizens who were legal permanent residents of the United States.
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Relatives had previously said they had lost contact with Naqvi during the period they believed she was detained by authorities. They also said that at one point her phone’s location appeared to show her at the Broadview ICE facility before it stopped updating.
Federal authorities maintain that the situation involved only routine secondary inspection procedures at the airport. The department’s public statement and surveillance schedule were released in response to claims that Naqvi had been detained for more than 40 hours.
