A woman attempting to visit her military husband in Hawaii was detained and eventually deported after the Department of Homeland Security said it flagged her for dubious behavior.
Nicolle Saroukos, of Australia, landed at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Oahu, Hawaii, on May 18, to visit her husband Matt, a U.S. Army lieutenant stationed in the area, according to Hawaii News Now.
She was then selected for secondary screening by Customs and Border Protection officers, who pulled her aside after becoming suspicious of “recent long-term trips to the United States and suspicious luggage,” a DHS senior official told Military Times in an emailed statement.
“Officers determined that she was traveling for more than just tourism,” the statement read. “She was unable to remember her wedding date just four months prior.”
Saroukos met her husband during a trip on Dec. 13, 2024, the same day her ex-partner left her, according to the official.
The statement did not specify the location of that trip, but provided further details of her romantic life, stating that Saroukos and her husband spent eight days together before she returned to Australia on Dec. 21.
“Saroukos then got married on January 24, 2025, after only knowing her husband for just over a month,” the statement said.
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Saroukos told Hawaii News Now that it was her third visit to see her husband in Oahu, and that she’d never experienced problems until the day she was detained.
She was reportedly taken to a holding room, along with her mother, who accompanied her on the flight. There, Saroukos’ bags and phone were searched, according to local reports, and she was questioned about her work as a former police officer and whether her tattoos were gang-affiliated.
Officers told her she had too many clothes in her suitcase, which they suspected indicated an attempt to stay in the U.S. longer than her VISA allowed, Hawaii News Now reported.
Afterward, DHS took fingerprints and DNA swabs of Saroukos’ mouth, conducted a body cavity search and escorted her to the Federal Detention Center, Honolulu, the report stated. Her mother was allowed to leave.
DHS told Military Times that concerns over her cell phone were also partly to blame for her detention.
“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,’” a DHS senior official said. “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.”
Saroukos told local media that she was strip-searched at the detention center, before being denied dinner and spending the night there.
Her husband told Hawaii News Now that he waited at the airport for several hours, asking officials the status of his wife’s arrival. He said no one would answer his questions initially. When he was finally told that his wife was at a detention center, he was not permitted to call or see her, the report said.
A U.S. Army spokesperson told Military Times that the husband’s unit and its leaders were providing support to the service member.
Saroukos is now back in Sydney, according to Hawaii News Now. Her husband is reportedly on leave visiting her.
“If you attempt to enter the United States under false pretenses, there are consequences,” the DHS senior official told Military Times.
Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.
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