Woman claims ICE wrongfully detained her for 30 hours — now a sheriff is suing her for defamation

A woman's serious accusations against federal and local law enforcement officials have allegedly turned out to be a hoax, and a sheriff is suing her for defamation over the claims.

Sundas "Sunny" Naqvi said in March that she and some co-workers had been held for over 30 hours despite being U.S. citizens and got nationwide coverage from sympathetic news outlets.

'They have not been supported by any — any — verified evidence at all.'

Twenty-eight-year-old Naqvi claimed she arrived at O'Hare airport in Chicago from Turkey on a work trip and was transported to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview and also taken to the Dodge County Jail in Wisconsin.

Her story was amplified by Democratic Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison, who is a friend of the family and a critic of the president's immigration policies.

"I don't think they want to own up to the fact that once again they have illegally detained American citizens without due process," said Morrison days after the alleged detention.

Her story seemed to begin falling apart after the multinational software company she claimed to work for reportedly said she was not an employee and that none of its workers had been detained at O'Hare.

Weeks after the accusations, Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt filed a defamation lawsuit against Naqvi as well as Morrison and explained the evidence that contradicted her claims.

"They have not been supported by any — any — verified evidence at all," Schmidt said at a media briefing on Friday. "At no point was Sundas Naqvi in the custody of the Dodge County Sheriff's Office."

He released video and text messages that he claimed undermined her account and showed that she was able to leave the O'Hare airport less than 90 minutes after landing. He also cited statements made by her boyfriend to the sheriff's office.

"I don't have any charges here in Dodge County to bring against her. My only recourse is to make sure that the public knows that she can't do this," Schmidt added.

The lawsuit also includes 10 "John Doe" people accused of publication or republication of the false claims against the sheriff. Their names will be added to the suit once they are identified.

The Chicago Sun Times has also documented numerous prior alleged incidents of false accusations made by Naqvi, including a conviction related to lying about sexual assault and a stabbing.

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Schmidt is seeking $1 million in the lawsuit.

Morrison, meanwhile, has changed his previously strident tone about the case.

"It is my understanding that a lawsuit has been filed. I have not seen it. And if a suit has in fact been filed, I cannot comment on pending litigation," he said in a statement.

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