‘I thought I was never going to get out’: Australian woman travelling to U.S. detained, stripped, and denied basic rights despite doing nothing wrong

A former police officer from New South Wales Australia, Nikki Saroukos, went through a terrifying experience during a recent trip to Honolulu, Hawaii, where she was visiting her husband, a lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Even though she was traveling legally on a tourist visa, she was detained, subjected to invasive searches, and held overnight in a federal detention facility.

This is not a case of reaching; this is exactly what happened. She was literally detained and kept for having too many clothes, and the basic rights given to detained persons were not followed. According to Daily Mail, A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said, “The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade provided consular assistance to an Australian who was detained in Honolulu. Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.”

Saroukos’s experience stands out because of how extreme the treatment was, especially since there seemed to be no real reason to suspect her of anything. The fact that U.S. Customs and Border Protection have not commented only adds to the concern, leaving many to wonder what options people have if they face similar treatment.

Australian wife of U.S. Lieutenant detained in Federal Prison without reason

Saroukos, along with her mother, arrived at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport for what was supposed to be a simple three-week vacation. However, things took a sudden and frightening turn at the customs desk. After looking at her documents, a customs officer became angry and shouted at Saroukos’s mother to be quiet and move to the back of the line. This unexpected and harsh reaction marked the start of an ordeal that would last almost an entire day.

The officers became suspicious because of the amount of luggage Saroukos had with her. They claimed that the large quantity of clothing suggested she planned to stay longer than her ESTA visa allowed. Even though Saroukos insisted she had a return flight booked, this accusation led to a thorough search of her and her mother’s belongings. Saroukos was then separated from her mother and taken for further questioning.

During this interrogation, she was asked invasive questions about her past job as a police officer, including whether she had been exposed to crime or drug trafficking. She was forced to hand over her phone and passwords and had to give a sworn statement about her income, marriage, and phone history. She was even questioned about why she had recently deleted an Instagram account.

The questioning became so intense that she was asked about the demographics of her neighborhood and whether she knew anything about New Zealand’s meth trade. Finally, a DNA swab was taken from her without any explanation.

After the interrogation, Saroukos was told that she would not be allowed into the U.S. and would be jailed. She was then handcuffed, subjected to a cavity search, and marched through the airport before being taken to a federal detention facility. There, she was fingerprinted again, forced to strip naked for another search, and given prison clothing.

Saroukos, “I told the officer that from my understanding when you place someone in cuffs it’s an indication of arrest, and you need to read them their rights.” An officer allegedly replied, “It’s for our safety.”

I was a Law Enforcement officer, and to clarify, yes, the officer was correct. You can be placed in cuffs but not be under arrest for a variety of reasons, and one of those is for the safety of the officers. In this situation, if the officers did, in fact, have a reason to believe she was a criminal, then cuffing her would be appropriate. However, that’d be something a lawyer would have to prove wasn’t the case in court, and the TSA has a lot of power when it comes to travel, so a lawsuit may never come.

Saroukos said, “I was in a foreign country. I had no idea what my rights were. I was terrified. I thought I was never going to get out of that facility. Because of all the horror stories I’ve heard from other travelers traveling through the United States, I kept asking the officers if I was safe in that facility, because I felt like they put my life at risk because I was being housed with criminals.”

She was placed in a shared cell with other inmates, including convicted murderers, despite her repeated concerns for her safety. She was denied food and even a towel to use after showering. Even though she was told she was not under arrest, she was treated as if she were.

Throughout her detention, she was barely able to communicate with her husband or mother. Officers promised to tell her husband where she was, but they never did. Her mother and husband spent hours desperately trying to find her, only learning where she was from a Hawaiian Airlines employee.

After a night without sleep, Saroukos was taken back to the airport, still in handcuffs, and eventually deported back to Australia. Even on the plane, her ordeal continued, as her phone was held until she arrived back in Australia, where it was then given to Australian authorities.