The story of a U.S. citizen allegedly detained for 43 hours after arriving at Chicago O’Hare has taken a dramatic turn. Federal authorities are now flatly denying that the woman was ever detained at all.
DHS Denies Sunny Naqvi Was Detained At Chicago O’Hare…So What Actually Happened?
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is now disputing claims that a Chicago-area woman was detained for more than a day after arriving at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD).
Sunny Naqvi, a 28-year-old U.S. citizen from the Chicago suburbs, had previously claimed through family members, local officials, and her attorney that she was held for 43 hours after returning from an overseas trip. According to that account, she was first detained at O’Hare, then transported to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Broadview, Illinois, and later to a detention center in Dodge County, Wisconsin before being released.
But DHS now says the entire story is false.
In a statement issued this week, DHS said Naqvi arrived at O’Hare at 10:21 a.m. on March 5, 2026 and was referred to secondary inspection for additional screening. The agency says she left Customs and Border Protection custody within about 90 minutes.
According to DHS:
“The passenger’s claims are blatantly false. Summer Sundas ‘Sunny” Naqvi, arrived at O’Hare at 10:21 a.m. on March 5, 2026. CBP officers referred her to Secondary, for additional inspection based on law enforcement checks and conducted a baggage exam. Ms. Naqvi departed CBP within 90 minutes of her arrival to the United States. Ms. Naqvi was not taken into custody or transferred to ICE for detention.”
DHS also says no one from her flight was transferred to the ICE facility in Broadview.
Meanwhile, officials in Dodge County, Wisconsin say they have no record that Naqvi was ever held at the county jail, which houses federal immigration detainees.
“At this time, these allegations do not appear to be accurate. The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office has no record of the individual referenced ever being booked, detained, or released from the Dodge County Jail. Jail logs confirm that no female inmates or detainees from the federal government were admitted or released during the timeframe in which these events were alleged to have occurred.”
The Family’s Story Is Very Different
Naqvi’s family and attorney strongly dispute the government’s account.
They say she and several colleagues were detained after returning from an international trip and questioned about their travel history. A Cook County commissioner who has been assisting the family said the group was told their travel history appeared “curious.”
Family members say they tracked Naqvi’s phone location and believe it showed her inside an immigration detention facility in Broadview, Illinois and later at the Dodge County Jail in Wisconsin.
According to their account, Naqvi was ultimately released early in the morning in Wisconsin and had to find transportation to a hotel before reconnecting with family.
Her attorney has suggested the government detained her without cause and misled the family about her whereabouts…and is now conducting a cover-up.
Two Completely Different Narratives
At this point, the story has become a stark case of two completely incompatible narratives.
The federal government insists Naqvi was never detained and left the airport shortly after arriving.
Her family and supporters insist she was held for more than a day and transported between facilities before being released.
Both accounts cannot be correct.
If DHS is telling the truth, the question becomes why an entire family, local officials, and their attorney would string together such an elaborate lie.
If Naqvi’s version is accurate, however, it would represent a deeply troubling case of a U.S. citizen being detained and transported without charges.
It merits mentioning that Naqvi’s LinkedIn page has been taken down. Some have suggested that SAP, her alleged employer, has said that Naqvi did not work for it, but I have not been able to find such a statement.
What Evidence Will Settle The Question?
The good news is that this is not the sort of dispute that should remain unresolved for long.
Airports like O’Hare are covered in surveillance cameras. Customs processing records exist. Transportation logs would exist if a detainee were moved between facilities.
I expect by the end of the day today or tomorrow we will have a much clearer picture of what happened. Until those records surface, however, the case remains murky and deeply contested.
CONCLUSION
Sunny Naqvi’s alleged 43-hour detention at Chicago O’Hare has quickly become a political flashpoint. But new statements from DHS now raise a fundamental question: did the government detain a U.S. citizen for more than a day, did she make the whole thing up, or was their an extended secondary inspection that went longer than 90 minutes?
Right now, the public is left with two completely different versions of events…both may be wrong, but both cannot be right.
Scam artist looking for attention. This would not be the first time that someone pulls this routine to gain attention.
Remember, records at government facilities are official documents and it’s a federal offense to tamper with them. So, if a facility has no record of someone being detained there, they probably never were. The more info that comes out about this individual, the sketchier she gets. And her story is very attractive to those who espouse a certain narrative.
If so, how ironic since the President is literally a reality show con-man himself…
That’s the best you can come up with? Sad.
The fish rots at the head. We’ve had enough of scammers and grifters (and bootlickers, like yourself!)
How is he bootlicking? There are official records held about every detention. If there are no records, there was no detention. If the family and the “victim” decide to sue, then we’ll see what the discovery process turns up. I’ll wager they don’t even retain an attorney.
Latest update from Matthew indicates that her whole little anti-ICE fantasy is falling apart. In your face, 1990!
The chief attention-seeking scam artist in the country has the following initials: DJT.
The chief attention-seeking scam artist in the country has the following first name: Donald.
The chief attention-seeking scam artist in the country has the following last name: Trump.
The chief attention-seeking scam artist in the country is registered to vote in the following state: Florida.
The chief attention-seeking scam artist in the country has the following criminal record: multiple felonies.
The chief attention-seeking scam artist in the country has the following business history; multiple bankruptcies.
Most of the story was voiced through Naqvi’s family. It would be helpful ( and reassuring ) if she could speak for herself. I am struggling to understand what the actual facts are here
100% agree. Hopefully I can post a further update later today or tomorrow. I don’t trust DHS (and the naysayers chanting “TDS” can shove it where the sun don’t shine) but I’m really wondering what happened here and if this girl is just a liar or trying to cover up something else.
Looking forward to an update.
Recent history has shown that DHS has no compunction about lying. But also could absolutely be the case that something else happened and the family believed a story they were told by this woman or a friend.
You are quite correct and I really don’t know what to think at this point, though the bootlickers will point to the DHS statement and gleefully rue that it was “TDS” that drove this story, which of course is ridiculous.
Surprised to see you use the bootlickers line. I thought you were above that level of ignorance.
The truth will come out and we will see those of you with TDS wanted so much to believe a story that would justify your hatred of someone you don’t agree with politically.
I will say Trump and ICE put themselves in a situation where scammers like this apparent lunatic saw the opportunity to use this to cover up whatever she was doing. My guess is she went on a drug and sex fueled bender and came up with an excuse to her family she didn’t totally think out. When I did adult movies and escorting you would be surprised at the stories guys would tell their wives where they were as they shacked up in a motel for days with me.
Anyone who throws around the “TDS” charge is a bootlicker in my book. No personal offense to you – I appreciate you reading and commenting. And if she did make it up, I think your theory is likely correct.
Bootlickers is not only appropriate here, but also vividly accurate… Kyle, you BOOTLICKER! *slurrrrp*
“Recent history has shown that DHS has no compunction about lying.”
Or murdering US citizens simply because they feel like it. That’s fascism.
“Domestic terrorists” Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good would agree.
I had tried to entertained the idea that maybe she disappeared post-CBP/FIS on arrival at ORD because of trying to hide a relationship with some guy, but that didn’t seem to pan out.
I didn’t check out her historical LinkedIn profile, but people making issue about SAP may have missed the point that there are a lot of independent contractors and SAP consultants who aren’t SAP employees and who SAP wouldn’t even be able to easily identify (if at all). Also, people ending up in media spotlight wanting to turn off, mask or delete social media accounts may just be the mentally healthy thing to do given how awful and vicious Trump & DHS/Noem-apologists, racists and misogynists are.
“Both may be wrong… but they both cannot be right”. Clearly, you took either debate or logic in school. Meanwhile, I’m left to ponder this statement all day trying to wrap my head around it. Thanks for that!
The DHS is an agency of War Criminal Trump’s junta. Lies are normal communication.
Oh, this is good. Someone is severely lying. I cant wait for the ending. Sadly, most people won’t take the govt’s word for it without proof, that’s what a history of lying will do to you
On the other hand, some people are all too willing to believe any cockamamie story that paints a government agency as a nefarious and unaccountable enemy of The People.
If you read the Twitter thread it points out that this woman once tried to blackmail a professor.
It also notes that the detention center she was allegedly held in is not run by DHS and is run by the local sheriff’s department.
And they have no record of her being booked.
Please stop giving these Jesse Smollet wannabes the attention they desperately crave.
And I could ask when did you stop beating your wife and that doesn’t mean anything in terms of truth. I note the allegation has been made and am very open to her just being nothing more than another Jussie Smollett…that is certainly possible and I will scorn her and her family if this is the case. It’s still too early to say. My original story was clear that her story was alleged…we should soon know exactly what happened.
Typical misogynistic and sex predator-apologist lines. :rolleyes:
Women and girls who get sexually harassed or even sexually assaulted and file complaints are often not believed and have their claims attacked by saying “she did it for the money or blah blah blah”. In fact, many women and girls who get sexually harassed don’t file formal complaints because of people not believing their stories and then attacking them when the predator/harasser faces no adverse consequences (beyond the half-hearted investigation).
You mean there have never been any false claims of sexual assault and rape?
I do recall a Senator from NY bringing just such a fraud to the State of the Union address years ago.
And she’s yet to apologize for it.
Who brought DJTrump’s first wife to attend, or was that someone else?
Trump’s first wife was raped by Trump. Trump’s second wife warned parents to keep their daughters away from Trump and the rest of the Trump-Epstein-Maxwell sex predator gang. Trump’s third wife knows about the Trump-Epstein-Mawxell crime gang as she was a person who was a participant in it.
“…public records (per Chicago Tribune, Sun-Times, court docs) show Sundas “Sunny” Naqvi pleaded guilty in 2022 to filing a false police report alleging sexual assault against a professor in 2019. She completed 2 years probation in 2024; case dismissed via deferred prosecution.”
She’s one of the women who make it harder for real victims of sexual assault to get justice.
So what are her traveling companions saying? And is there a way to track where here phone went after the fact?
There has to be a way to document whose telling the real story without relying on possible dubious sources.
Because her traveling companions refused to be a part of her lie.
SAP, who she claimed to work for, won’t acknowledge her employment.
DHS posted video of someone wearing her clothes and carrying similar luggage walking out of the facility.
Obviously it could be someone else but let’s be honest….she’s a fraud.
I’ve been a republican all my life. All the republicans who surrounded me taught me to have a healthy skepticism of government and in particular government statements about disputes with private citizens.
So why are Republicans now so ready to instinctively believe the government, or before a statement emerges, reflexively take the side of government?
This is so true.
Ding ding. This is something I ask consistently of my entire family. They best response was that the government only lies when Democrats are in charge. *shrug*
“So why are Republicans now so ready to instinctively believe the government, or before a statement emerges, reflexively take the side of government?”
Because they’re Nazi morons who worship their Dear Leader above all (including fidelity to truth or love of country).
If her Iphone truly pinged at the DHS facility, case closed.
I thought about including as section on that, but felt it was too technical…it certainly is a strange part of the story.
Is it possible her phone dinged at the facility mentioned but she was not with the phone to cover any story about her whereabouts?
If I have to trust a random individual with brown skin or the administration over detention claims, I’m going to believe the individual until we start following the law again.
All else aside, why would she make up such an asinine claim when it would obviously be exposed as false and show her up for a fraud?
There are certainly better ways for someone seeking their 15 minutes of fame…
If the Dodge County Sheriff says his jail logs don’t have a record of her being in custody, then she wasn’t in custody. Likewise the DHS, as slippery and gaff-prone as they may be, would surely have a trail of paperwork and electronic log entries on everyone they detain. If the family are intent on maintaining their narrative then let them sue, and we’ll see what turns-up in discovery.
Even before the USA PATRIOT Act Section 412 detentions, right after 9/11 there would be some persons who would disappear as no-record detention, no-record release detainees,
But why would the Dodge County Sheriff lie? What’s in it for him? How might “they” have compelled him and his crew to risk their jobs and their personal liberty by falsifying the county jail logs?
Seems like various charges
https://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/courts-police-fire/former-ui-student-gets-jail-probation-for-role-in-bizarre-incidents-with-roommates-ex-boyfriends/article_928779bf-3de3-50e4-afd5-ceb282ec717e.html
against her had been dismissed. Could it be that the history with the arrest(s) on dismissed charges contributed to her being sent to secondary and then detained by one or more governmental entities for far longer than the “90 minutes” DHS claims it held her?
The reporting and record suggests that she may be very manipulative, but then there are those screen captures of her locations during the time of her claimed detention.
The Chicago Tribune doesn’t believe her…
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/11/ohare-ice-dhs-detain-chicago/
When the Chicago Tribune doesn’t believe you…
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/11/ohare-ice-dhs-detain-chicago/
Another Jesse Smollet with something to hide. Probably a “hot date” that went sour.
I don’t necessarily trust the goverment’s truthfulness (especially under Trump and his acolytes), but if her family’s story is true, this is a particularly stupid lie. My hope is for the truth to come out. My money is she’s dishonest.
but if her family’s story is true, this is a particularly stupid lie for the government to tell. (It would be too easy to show the government lied if she was held.)
There has now been surveillance footage released, though it’s Epstein like in its clarity. Difficult to know what to make of this case.
Why is it difficult?
It’s obvious that she’s lying so she either did it for attention or she’s hiding something from her family.
You can always look at history for examples of cases like this.
My personal “favorite” was Tawana Brawley.
Nothing is “obvious” in this age. If she’s lying, I will condemn her unequivocally, but I’m waiting for her to speak…the DHS surveillance does not clearly show she is the one leaving at ORD.
Of the limited surveillance footage I saw, it only indicates that some “brown” skinned woman exited from secondary without being in escorted custody at that point. I didn’t see footage showing the person exiting into the public land-side section at ORD T5 which is after clearing the FIS area and going beyond the baggage re-check area. Federal authorities can — and have previously — grabbed some people after release from CBP secondary but before getting outside to where the general public can wait for those coming out from the FIS area — and it’s not always been DHS/CBP/ICE doing those grabs.
Section 412 of the USA PATRIOT Act can be used to grab and temporarily disappear non-citizens. It shouldn’t apply to US citizens in this way, but if they want to claim doubt about US citizenship and US identity despite prima facie evidence of US citizenship and identity, it can get messy.
Most of what hits TV and traditional print media and online media is often but a tip of the iceberg of what goes on in the name of national security.
This woman seems to have a lot of drama around her and be manipulative which does understandably invite questions, but that alone doesn’t invalidate what may have happened to her nor what she claims happened to her in this situation. What I haven’t seen is anything indicating what it is like to be in the Dodge County detention facility, and that is strange.
@GUWonder: You bring up a very good point – we need more surveillance footage because simply letting her walk out of T5 does not prove that she left ORD on her own.
A few months back, there was an ORD parking/waiting area that had a bunch of DHS employees geared to grab people. Not sure if they have abandoned their staging there or were going around land-side at the airport itself to grab people, but some of those guys seemed to later show up around where DHS was harassing people in other parts of the metro area.
Whether Naqvi is telling tall tales to cover up something else, it’s a sad situation that DHS and DOJ behavior is so questionable because of their own pattern of heightened excesses that there can be no presumption of regularity on the part of DHS and DOJ.