A 28-year-old US citizen from Skokie, Illinois, was detained at O’Hare International Airport and transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities for nearly 30 hours after returning from a work trip abroad, according to her family and local officials. Federal authorities have offered conflicting accounts of what happened — raising new questions about ICE enforcement at airports and the treatment of American citizens. What Happened to Sunny Naqvi Sundas “Sunny” Naqvi was among six people — including two other US citizens and three green card holders — who were flagged by federal agents at O’Hare after arriving on a flight from Istanbul on a Thursday morning in early March. The group had been traveling for work, splitting up to visit different countries before reuniting in Turkey for the return flight. According to Naqvi’s family and elected officials who intervened on her behalf, she was detained at the airport, transferred to an ICE processing facility in Broadview, Illinois, and then moved to a detention center in Dodge County, Wisconsin — spending nearly 30 hours in custody before being released. Federal Agencies Tell a Different Story The Department of Homeland Security has disputed the family’s account. Customs and Border Protection said Naqvi was referred to secondary inspection “based on law enforcement checks” and departed CBP within 90 minutes of her arrival. CBP did not explain the discrepancy with the family’s timeline or address the reported transfer to ICE facilities. The conflicting narratives have drawn scrutiny from members of Congress and immigration advocates. Families, attorneys, and elected officials said they were repeatedly given false or contradictory information by multiple federal agencies during the detention. A Growing Pattern Naqvi’s case is not isolated. A ProPublica investigation found that more than 170 US citizens have been detained by immigration agents in recent years, with some subjected to physical force and held for days. Advocacy groups report that airport encounters with ICE and CBP have increased significantly in 2026, with agents questioning travelers about their immigration status, travel history, and digital devices. Community organizations in Chicago have begun publishing “know your rights” guides specifically for air travelers, advising US citizens and legal residents of their rights during airport encounters with federal agents. Legal and Political Fallout The incident has added fuel to the ongoing debate over immigration enforcement tactics. Senate Democrats have cited cases like Naqvi’s in their push for ICE oversight reforms as part of any deal to end the DHS shutdown. Republican leadership has defended ICE’s authority to conduct security screening at ports of entry. For Naqvi and the other five travelers, the immediate ordeal is over — all six are safely home. But the unanswered questions about what happened at O’Hare, and why federal agencies provided conflicting accounts, remain unresolved. Immigration attorneys say the case illustrates a broader erosion of procedural norms at US airports, where the line between customs screening and immigration enforcement has become increasingly blurred — even for American citizens.