Skokie Woman Faces Defamation Lawsuit Over Allegedly Fabricated Detention Story

A Skokie woman is facing a defamation lawsuit filed by a sheriff after allegedly fabricating a story about her detention. In March 2026, Sundas “Sunny” Naqvi, 28, drew national attention when she claimed she was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for more than 40 hours despite being a legal U.S. citizen.

Naqvi said she returned to the U.S. on March 5 after a work trip to Turkey. According to her, she was detained by immigration officials at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport for 30 hours and later moved to a detention facility in Broadview, Illinois. She claimed she was eventually taken to Dodge County Jail in Wisconsin.

The woman further stated that her ordeal lasted 43 hours, after which she was released from custody in the early hours of March 7. Naqvi said her troubles did not end there, as she was not given transportation and had to hitchhike nine miles to reunite with her family at a hotel.

Naqvi’s claims were supported by Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison, who described her as his “best friend’s sister.” “This is a 28-year-old woman just left on the street by ICE in another state, without her property,” Morrison said during a press conference on March 8. The incident sparked backlash against ICE for allegedly detaining a U.S. citizen.

However, over a month later, Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt presented evidence that contradicts Naqvi’s entire story. During an interaction with the media on April 10, Schmidt presented a detailed timeline of what actually transpired with Naqvi.

The sheriff argued that the woman lied about her ordeal, saying she was actually relaxing at a hotel during the time she claimed to have been detained. Schmidt provided documentation that shows Naqvi checked into a Hampton Inn & Suites in Rosemont, Illinois, just 90 minutes after landing at O'Hare.

Text messages allegedly show Naqvi asking an acquaintance to pay for a spa treatment while she claimed to be in detention. A surveillance video shows her at a gas station in Slinger, Wisconsin, during that time.

Additionally, the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has also refuted Naqvi’s claims. The agency released images showing Naqvi leaving O’Hare freely about 80 minutes after landing. “Ms. Naqvi departed CBP within 90 minutes of her arrival to the United States … [she] was not taken into custody or transferred to ICE for detention,” the Department of Homeland Security stated back in March.

Schmidt has now sued both Naqvi and Morrison for reputational injury and seeks $1 million in damages from each defendant. The sheriff stated that he cannot bring criminal charges against the two for a false report in Wisconsin and, hence, is seeking justice through the defamation lawsuit. Naqvi has not yet responded to the evidence presented against her.