A sheriff in Wisconsin has filed a defamation lawsuit against a woman and a member of Illinois’ Cook County Board of Commissioners over claims that the woman, a US citizen, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at Chicago O’Hare International Airport before eventually being brought to a Wisconsin county jail.

The suit, filed by Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt, claims that comments made by Sundas “Sunny” Naqvi and Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison were defamatory, and that “Sheriff Schmidt was damaged,” per WISN. The suit is seeking $1 million from each person.

Morrison had claimed that Naqvi had been detained at the airport for 30 hours, sent to Illinois’ Broadview ICE facility, and then sent to the Dodge County Jail in Wisconsin, along with five other people. Morrison said in March, “They have been lying from the very start of this. I don’t think they want to own up to the fact that, once again, they have illegally detained American citizens without due process.”

The sheriff’s office laid out the timeline of events that took place on March 5, when Naqvi flew into O’Hare. The office stressed that there had been no record of Naqvi being detained or booked in Dodge County, there was no transfer request for coordination with federal authorities, and that “at no time was Ms. Naqvi in the custody of the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office.”

She entered secondary inspection at the airport at around 10:46 am, and was released just under an hour later, the press release stated. “Federal authorities have stated she was not detained or transferred after leaving O’Hare,” a press release from the Sheriff’s office stated.

Posts from the Department of Homeland Security at the time said that claims Naqvi had spent over a day in DHS custody were “blatantly false.” DHS said, “Sunny Naqvi, arrived at O’Hare at 10:21 a.m. on March 5, 2026. CBP officers referred her to Secondary, for additional inspection based on law enforcement checks and conducted a baggage exam. Ms. Naqvi departed CBP within 90 minutes of her arrival to the United States. Ms. Naqvi was not taken into custody or transferred to ICE for detention.” In a follow-up post, the department posted security camera photos showing when Naqvi had entered and exited the secondary inspection area.

During the time in which Naqvi claimed to have been detained, she checked into a Rosemont, Illinois Hampton Inn & Suites near the airport. Text messages sent during this period showed Naqvi ordering food and going to the spa.

She later traveled to Wisconsin on March 7 voluntarily, the press release stated. “Video footage, license plate reader data, and timeline analysis confirm her travel from Illinois to Wisconsin occurred near the end and after the alleged detention period and was not the result of law enforcement transport.”

“Upon information and belief, during the late evening of March 6, 2026 and early morning hours of March 7, 2026, Defendant Naqvi arranged for transportation from an acquaintance from the Hampton Inn & Suites near O’Hare to Wisconsin,” the lawsuit read. “On or around March 7, 2026, at approximately 5:38 a.m., Naqvi was seen at a gas station in the Slinger, Wisconsin area.”

The lawsuit said that Naqvi was dropped off at a Beaver Dam, Wisconsin Holiday Inn at 6:33 am on March 7, and was seen in a video inside the hotel’s lobby. She was seen wearing the same clothing as she was in the video in a post from Morrison stating that Naqvi had been “reunited” with her family.

“These allegations are serious, but they are not supported by evidence. We have reviewed the records, we have established the timeline, and the facts are clear—this did not happen. Our responsibility is to ensure the public has accurate information and confidence in the integrity of law enforcement,” Schmidt said.

The sheriff’s office also found prior law enforcement investigations into allegations from Naqvi, including allegations of sexual assault, which were determined to be false.