A Wisconsin sheriff on Friday disputed allegations that a 28-year-old U.S. citizen from Skokie was detained by federal immigration authorities at O’Hare International Airport last month and later held in Wisconsin custody, saying records and surveillance reviewed by his office show no evidence she was taken into detention.
Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt said the claims involving Sundas “Sunny” Naqvi are not supported by agency records or federal documentation he reviewed.
“The claims have not been supported by any verified evidence at all,” he said during a press conference in Juneau, Wisconsin, where he laid out a timeline and surveillance footage.
Records from the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection show Naqvi arrived at O’Hare on March 5, 2026, after returning from international travel. She entered secondary inspection at 10:46 a.m. and was released at 11:42 a.m., Schmidt said.
Naqvi and her family have previously said she was detained after arriving in Chicago and later moved between facilities in Illinois and Wisconsin.
Schmidt cited text messages he said were obtained during the investigation, including one sent during the period she allegedly was in custody, in which Naqvi asked to use a man’s credit card to “pay my spa lady.”
He also referenced prior law enforcement and court records, including a case he said began in 2018 tied to her time at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, which involved allegations that were later resolved through a deferred prosecution agreement.
Schmidt also referenced records from the Skokie Police Department in 2019 and 2020 that he said involved disputed or unsubstantiated claims.
Schmidt said no criminal charges are being filed against Naqvi in Wisconsin.
He also announced Friday that he is filing a defamation lawsuit in his personal capacity against Naqvi and Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison, alleging their claims caused reputational harm. The lawsuit seeks more than $1 million in damages from each defendant. Morrison is a candidate for Congress, according to campaign materials.
