U.S. CITIZEN STOPPED AT O’HARE, DETAINED BY IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS FOR NEARLY 30 HOURS
Sundas ‘Sunny’ Naqvi and five others were taken to a holding facility in Wisconsin
Sarah Afzal, sister of Sundas “Sunny” Naqvi of Skokie, speaks about the detainment of her sister outside of the Broadview immigration detention facility Sunday.
ANTHONY VAZQUEZ/SUN-TIMES
ANTHONY VAZQUEZ/SUN-TIMES
A U.S. citizen from Skokie spent nearly 30 hours in custody by federal immigration officials after she was detained at O’Hare Airport following a work trip Thursday, drawing rebukes from family, friends and politicians.
Sundas “Sunny” Naqvi and five colleagues, including two other U.S. citizens and three individuals with green cards, were all detained at the airport by federal immigration agents for their “recent travel history” after returning from Istanbul, Cook County Commissioner and family friend Kevin Morrison told reporters outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement center in Broadview Sunday.
Naqvi, 28, and the others were taken to the Broadview facility, then transferred to a facility in Dodge County, Wisconsin, sometime Friday evening, according to Morrison.
She was then released around 5 a.m. Saturday after nearly 30 hours, and a woman gave her a ride to a hotel where she reunited with family who followed her phone’s location until service died.
“All she was told was that there was some curious travel history, but they had no cause to detain her for those 30 hours,” Morrison said, adding that federal agents “lied to” local law enforcement and elected officials by saying Naqvi was never detained.
Immigration officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
“We need transparency, we need accountability and we need to make sure that we are incredibly mindful of the steps we must take as a nation to protect all of our civil rights and civil liberties,” said Morrison. “The fact that this could happen to any U.S. citizen should terrify us all.”
Naqvi’s sister, Sarah Afzal, said she almost filed a missing persons report when she couldn’t get answers from local or federal police.
“She was right here and then she was in Wisconsin,” Afzal said. “It was terrifying.”
A number of candidates running for Congress were on hand at Broadview to talk to news media, including 7th District candidate Reed Showalter and 9th District candidates Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, Kat Abughazaleh, Bushra Amiwala and Illinois state Sen. Laura Fine.
“They were only brought home after their families and our community refused to back down and kept asking for answers,” Abughazaleh said. “This is going to be the new normal if we don’t stand up against it.”
Fine called the arrests “completely unconscionable” and emphasized the importance of continued congressional oversight.
“We are not getting the full story, we are not getting all of the facts and it is up to Congress to dig deep into what’s going on so we understand as citizens and as residents what is happening and [so] that we could get down to the truth,” Fine said.
Amiwala, who knows Naqvi, praised the efforts by family and friends to seek the woman’s release.
“For her to have a community that she does — that was able to rally this many people on such short span — is a testament and reflection to her and her family,” Amiwala said.
Sundas “Sunny” Naqvi and five colleagues, including two other U.S. citizens and three individuals with green cards, were all detained at the airport by federal immigration agents for their “recent travel history” after returning from Istanbul, Cook County Commissioner and family friend Kevin Morrison told reporters outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement center in Broadview Sunday.
Naqvi, 28, and the others were taken to the Broadview facility, then transferred to a facility in Dodge County, Wisconsin, sometime Friday evening, according to Morrison.
She was then released around 5 a.m. Saturday after nearly 30 hours, and a woman gave her a ride to a hotel where she reunited with family who followed her phone’s location until service died.
“All she was told was that there was some curious travel history, but they had no cause to detain her for those 30 hours,” Morrison said, adding that federal agents “lied to” local law enforcement and elected officials by saying Naqvi was never detained.
Immigration officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
“We need transparency, we need accountability and we need to make sure that we are incredibly mindful of the steps we must take as a nation to protect all of our civil rights and civil liberties,” said Morrison. “The fact that this could happen to any U.S. citizen should terrify us all.”
Naqvi’s sister, Sarah Afzal, said she almost filed a missing persons report when she couldn’t get answers from local or federal police.
“She was right here and then she was in Wisconsin,” Afzal said. “It was terrifying.”
A number of candidates running for Congress were on hand at Broadview to talk to news media, including 7th District candidate Reed Showalter and 9th District candidates Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, Kat Abughazaleh, Bushra Amiwala and Illinois state Sen. Laura Fine.
“They were only brought home after their families and our community refused to back down and kept asking for answers,” Abughazaleh said. “This is going to be the new normal if we don’t stand up against it.”
Fine called the arrests “completely unconscionable” and emphasized the importance of continued congressional oversight.
“We are not getting the full story, we are not getting all of the facts and it is up to Congress to dig deep into what’s going on so we understand as citizens and as residents what is happening and [so] that we could get down to the truth,” Fine said.
Amiwala, who knows Naqvi, praised the efforts by family and friends to seek the woman’s release.
“For her to have a community that she does — that was able to rally this many people on such short span — is a testament and reflection to her and her family,” Amiwala said.