An Australian woman, Nicolle Saroukos, was recently deported from the United States after an unsettling experience at Daniel K Inouye International Airport when she attempted to visit her husband, an active-duty Army lieutenant in Hawaii. Saroukos, 25, from Sydney, expressed her shock at being treated in a manner she described as inhumane and degrading.
Accompanied by her mother, Saroukos had traveled to Hawaii for a three-week visit to reunite with her husband, Matt. However, upon arrival, border officials flagged her for additional questioning, leading to a series of alarming events. According to her account, the situation escalated quickly when an officer reacted aggressively, shouting at her mother and demanding that she remain silent.
“I automatically started crying because that was my first response,” Saroukos said, recounting the chaotic moment.
After being taken to a holding room for further screening, Saroukos faced intense interrogation questioning about her past employment as a police officer and allegations that her tattoos were linked to gang activity. When she disclosed her marriage to an Army officer, she was met with laughter from the officers, which added to her distress.
Saroukos recalled, “They thought it was quite comical. I don’t know whether they thought I was telling the truth or not.”
Compounding her anxiety, the border agents accused her of packing too many clothes, leading them to suspect she would overstay her visa despite her planned short visit.
“As a result, I was held for more screening, including fingerprinting and a DNA swab, while my mother was allowed to leave,” she explained. Eventually, Saroukos was denied entry into the U.S. and informed that she would be deported after spending the night in prison, not a detention center as she had thought.
The officer’s words struck her hard: “So, basically, what is going to happen is we’re going to send you to a prison overnight where you will stay.” Saroukos felt a wave of panic wash over her, illustrating the fear that prison conjured up in her mind.
“Because when you think prison, you think, big time criminals. I don’t know who I’m being housed with,” she said.
During this ordeal, border officials purportedly reassured her that they would contact her husband about her deportation, but she later learned that they had failed to do so, intensifying her feelings of isolation. Following a humiliating body cavity search, she was escorted through the airport in handcuffs to a federal detention center, creating an embarrassing and traumatic experience.
“They stated, ‘No, you’re not under arrest. You haven’t done anything wrong, and you’ll be facing no criminal charges.’ So I was very confused as to why this was all happening,” she said, highlighting the distressing contradictions of her situation.
Upon arrival at the federal detention center, Saroukos faced further strip searches and was put in a cell with women who had serious criminal convictions, including murder and drug offenses. She spent the night in this environment with another woman from Fiji who was also facing deportation, further compounding her feelings of despair and confusion.
Saroukos was not allowed to reach out for help to her husband or mother, which left her feeling completely alone. The following morning, she was returned to the airport where she received a call from the Australian consulate in Hawaii, who had been informed of her situation by her mother. They arranged a flight for her and her mother to return home.
Once reunited with her husband over the phone, Saroukos described a whirlwind of emotions as they had been apart for nearly 24 hours without any communication. “We hadn’t spoken to each other in 24 hours. He didn’t know where I was or whether I was safe,” she recounted, emphasizing the mutual distress caused by the ordeal.
“The experience was traumatizing, not only for me but also for my mother and my husband,” she continued. “As a current serving member [of the Army], my husband serves his country, and to be treated this way—I find it very disgusting.”
Now back in Sydney, Saroukos said that the entire experience left her feeling as though she could never return to the United States again. “I felt like my world came crashing down. I felt like my marriage was over when they told me that,” she said, revealing the emotional toll the experience took on her relationship.
In response to Saroukos’s claims, a spokesperson from U.S. Customs and Border Protection stated that entry decisions are complex and thoroughly considered, underscoring that many factors are taken into account during such evaluations.
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