Australian woman says she was deported after visiting her U.S. Army officer husband at Hawaii base
Nicolle Saroukos, 25, of Sydney, says she was held in federal prison overnight after trying to enter the country with her mother so the two could visit her husband, Matt, a U.S. Army lieutenant stationed on Oahu, Hawaii News Now reported.
Saroukos, who has visited three times since getting married last December, said things quickly turned chaotic after border officials at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport flagged her for extra screening.
The officer checking passports 'went from completely composed to just yelling at the top of his lungs, telling my mother to go stand at the back of the line and to excuse my language, 'shut up,'' Saroukos recalled.
'So I automatically started crying because that was my first response,' she said.
After Saroukos and her mother were taken to a holding room where their bags and phones were searched, she was bombarded with questions, including about her former work as a police officer and whether her tattoos were gang-related to her marriage to an American.
'When I did say that I was married to somebody in the U.S. Army, the officers laughed at me. They thought it was quite comical. I don't know whether they thought I was telling the truth or not,' she said.
Officers also allegedly told Saroukos, who was only planning on staying for a three-week visit, that she had too many clothes in her suitcase.
'So because of that, they assumed I was going to overstay my visa,' she said.
Saroukos was held for more screening, including fingerprints and a DNA swab, while her mother was allowed to go. She was then denied entry to the U.S. and told she would be deported back to Australia after spending the night in prison, she said.
'[The officer] said 'so basically what is going to happen is we're going to send you to a prison overnight where you will stay,'' she said. 'Not detention center, he said prison, and I automatically just, I started crying again.'
'Because when you think prison, you think, big time criminals. I don't know who I'm being housed with,' she said.
According to Saroukos, border officials told her they would let her husband know she was being deported – but they never did.
She was then put through a body cavity search before being paraded through the airport in handcuffs and taken to the Federal Detection Center.
'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.
After arriving at the prison, Saroukos was strip-searched and detained with women who had been convicted of murder and drug offenses, according to the report.
She shared a cell with a woman from Fiji who was also denied entry and awaiting deportation. She was also not allowed to make a phone call to her husband or mother to let them know what happened.
Saroukos said that the following morning, she was brought back to the airport and received a call from the Australian Consulate General in Hawaii, who had been contacted by her mother when they were separated and helped get the two on the same returning flight home.
Eventually, she was able to connect with her husband over the phone.
'I think we were both just very emotional. We hadn't spoken to each other in 24 hours. He didn't know where I was or whether I was safe,' she said.
'It's not only myself, it's my mother and my husband that also had to endure that pain, my husband being a current serving member, to serve his country and to be treated in that way I find very disgusting,' she said.
Saroukos' husband is now on leave with her in Sydney after waiting hours for her at the airport and receiving no answers.
She said the horrifying experience 'made it physically impossible for me to even ever enter the United States ever again.'
'I felt like my world came crashing down. I felt like my marriage was over when they told me that,' she added. 'That's something that they've taken away from me as well.'
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson told Hawaii News Now that entry decisions are complex and taken very seriously, with many factors considered in each decision.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Politico
22 minutes ago
- Politico
NATO secretary-general optimistic about Trump meeting with Putin
'I do believe that, Donald Trump, the president, wants to end this,' Rutte told Karl. 'He wants to end the terrible loss of life. He wants to end the terrible damage being done to the infrastructure in Ukraine. So many people losing their lives. So much damage being done.' Rutte, a former prime minister of the Netherlands, added: 'We have seen President Trump putting incredible pressure on Russia.' Trump has faced criticism for setting up a meeting with Putin without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, though there have been suggestions that Zelenskyy might still be invited. The president has also been assailed — including by former Trump national security adviser John Bolton later on the same ABC program — for bringing Putin on to American soil and for stating that Ukraine might need to yield some of its territory. 'I think Trump has made some mistakes already,' Bolton said, 'No. 1, in holding this meeting on American soil, legitimizing a pariah leader of a rogue state. Second, he's allowed Putin to get first mover advantage by putting his peace plan on the table first.' Speaking to Karl, Rutte said he saw the Alaskan meeting as a valid starting point, but agreed no deal was possible without Ukraine, or without considering Ukraine's long-term security and independence. 'It will be about territory,' Rutte said of whatever deal ends up ending the war. 'It will be, of course, about security guarantees, but also about the absolute need to acknowledge that Ukraine decides its own future, that Ukraine has to be a sovereign nation, deciding on its own geopolitical future, of course having no limitations to its own military troop levels, and for NATO to have no limitations on our presence on the eastern flank in countries like Latvia, Estonia and Finland.'
Buzz Feed
an hour ago
- Buzz Feed
America's Wins: Things The US Actually Gets Right
I think we can all agree that the US has many areas for improvement, especially when compared to other progressive countries. However, despite the country's numerous issues, it surprisingly isn't all bad. In one Reddit thread (which you can see here), people discussed the things they think the US does right, and my cynical self definitely needed this reminder. Here are 18 things the US doesn't completely mess up, as told by both residents and people from other countries: "Our public libraries are a real backbone for the country. Andrew Carnegie's groundwork in building the institution of free libraries, even in small towns, set a precedent that we wouldn't fathom today but couldn't live without." "They often serve not only as an information exchange but as a cultural hub, art gallery, performing arts center, tax aide, voter registration, job resources, etc., in communities. Plus, they're one of the only places you can just exist for hours indoors without the expectation that you must buy something. And I feel like they've adapted to the ever-changing needs of their patrons in modern times faster in the US than most places.'A library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people. It is a never failing spring in the desert.' –Andrew Carnegie"–fadedVHS "Accessibility code for buildings. I come from a country where disability is looked upon as a crime or fault. The USA does an amazing job of making things accessible. I haven't seen all of the USA, but the majority of the places have amazing systems." "Aggressive self-determinism. Oh, your parents were abusive, and you don't talk to them anymore? Fuck yeah, rad, good for you. Your partner couldn't give you the relationship you dreamed of having. Alright, rad, move on up. You hated your job, and think your future is in being a movie star? Alright. You do you. Send me a premier ticket." "Aussie here. I think entertainment. Everyone talks shit about the US, but then spends most of their time listening to American music, film, and TV." "Valuing actual wilderness in places like national parks. Here in England, they will 'restore' or 'create' natural habitats, which is sort of nice, but they are almost like zoos. They are too small to survive by themselves, so they are actively maintained. And in some English national parks, they actually allow housing developments as long as the architectural design is sympathetic. Here, 'countryside' means farms. There is still a notion in the USA of protecting some large wilderness areas from development." –anon5005 "The US is an absolute science powerhouse. The technology we come out with has touched the lives of nearly every person on the planet." "Automatic complimentary water at cafes and restaurants." "I love that in the US, if you go back to school at 40 or 50, no one blinks an eye. If you get a degree at 80 or 90, you are a total hero. In many cultures, you need to be done with school in your twenties. No one goes to school later in life." "Free public toilets everywhere you go. It's kind of a culture shock to go to a different country and have to pay money to use the restroom. It's a necessity, I would rather people be allowed to use the restroom rather than do their business outside." "Burgers. Motherfuckin' burgers." "I say this as an immigrant who came to this country, so perhaps take it with a grain of salt. But it truly gives people a second chance at life. My life would be nowhere near as good as it is right now if I were back in my home country." "Air conditioning." "The US postal system is the most far-reaching postal system in the world. We will deliver nearly anything to any mailbox. Do you live at the bottom of the Grand Canyon? Say no more, postal donkeys." –Bergy_Berg "How friendly people are. Don't get me wrong, there's a ton of friendly cultures, and even plenty more hospitable ones than the US, but the sheer level of openness and genuine friendliness is something else in the US." "Interstate highway system. Blows my mind that I can get pretty much anywhere I want down there without having to take some crazy roundabout route and have ample places to stop and eat/bathroom/refuel. Also, most people in the USA actually follow the 'pass on the left, cruise right' rule, which is a rarity here in Canada." "Free speech. I can get arrested for saying certain opinions in my country." "The amount of choices at the grocery store. It can be overwhelming, but most other countries don't have nearly the same amount of options for something as simple as potato chips.' –External_fox995 And finally, "We're the nation that created Shrek. That's all I need to say." What else belongs on this list? Let me know in the comments!
Politico
an hour ago
- Politico
Florida's universities face research overhaul courtesy of Trump and DeSantis
Part of an effort to 'reduce pollution and increase community climate resilience,' the grant was meant to help extend water service to 50 multifamily complexes still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. These facilities are running on well water and septic systems that may be contaminated due to polluted stormwater ponds, according to the university. The agency advised USF to tweak the grant proposal by scrapping words like 'disadvantaged,' 'climate change' and 'minority,' yet it was still terminated by the EPA for not being part of the agency's new priorities. The school is appealing and searching for private industry partnerships to keep the project going. 'If that's not your priority, then what is your priority?' said Christian Wells, a professor and director of the Center for Brownfields Research & Redevelopment at USF who is leading the project. At Florida A&M University, the Department of Agriculture canceled a $4.9 million grant to help expand the markets for 'climate-smart' industrial hemp throughout Alabama and Louisiana. In canceling these grants, part of a $3 billion Biden-era program, the USDA argued not enough of the funding was reaching farmers. 'Secretary [Brooke] Rollins has made it clear that all USDA programs, including our research programs, will now put American farmers and ranchers first instead of promoting woke DEI initiatives or far-left climate programs,' a USDA spokesperson said in a statement. FAMU has also been fighting to keep other projects, such as a $16.3 million pharmacy grant targeted by NIH. School leaders are optimistic some grants can be salvaged after they were able to protect some student scholarships that were initially on the termination list. 'We've taken it in stride,' G. Dale Wesson, interim dean and associate vice president for research with the FAMU College of Agriculture & Food Sciences, said about the changes in federal priorities. 'We do the best we can to solve problems they're interested in solving.' Across the country, there is a labyrinth of legal battles playing out in opposition of the federal research changes, including a lawsuit brought by 16 Democrat-led states fighting the NSF. Officials and researchers are challenging the grant terminations, as well as other Trump policies like a proposed cap on research overhead costs shelled out by the federal government. In certain cases, like a California lawsuit and the overhead costs challenge, opponents have been successful in blocking the Trump administration and recouping grant dollars, at least for now. A recent ruling, however, allows the NSF to continue withholding research funds as the lawsuit from Democrats in states like New York, Hawaii, California, Colorado and Connecticut plays out. Conversely, Florida, under DeSantis, is majorly supportive of the federal efforts to reshape education, many of which mirror the state's conservative policies. In at least one instance, Florida's own DOGE team recommended a grant to NSF for cancelation at the University of West Florida. This grant went toward scholarships for teachers completing projects on water quality sampling methods and aspirin synthesis, according to school officials, but got singled out due to 'social justice' language UWF contends was not incorporated.
