Nicole Saroukos, a former NSW Police officer, claimed she was targeted by border officials when trying to visit the US to see her husband, a serving member of the US military.
The Padstow Heights woman told 9News that border officials questioned her about the amount of clothing she had, as well as her tattoos.
“I felt as though they were trying to racially profile me,” she said.
Saroukos said she spent the night behind bars in Honolulu before being sent back to Australia.
Now, the Department of Homeland Security has put forward its own claims about why Saroukos was denied entry to the US.
“Nicolle Saroukos’s recent long-term trips to the United States and suspicious luggage resulted in her being reasonably selected for secondary screening by CBP (Customs and Border Protection),” the department said on X.
“Officers determined that she was travelling for more than just tourism.”
The department also claimed Saroukos could not remember the date of her wedding, and that she had known her husband only briefly before they wed.
“During screening, CBP noted there was unusual activity on her phone, including 1,000 deleted text messages from her husband because she claimed they caused her ‘anxiety’,” the post read.
“Saroukos even claimed that her husband was going to leave the U.S. military, despite him telling CBP he was adding her to his military documents.”
The federal government’s Smartraveller website warns visitors to the US that border officials have “broad powers” to determine who may or may not enter the country.
