HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is defending the actions of its Customs and Border Protection officers who detained and deported an Australian woman who tried to visit her American husband, a U.S. Army lieutenant who is stationed in Honolulu, telling Hawaii News Now that Nicolle Saroukos was “traveling for more than just tourism.”
DHS questioned the circumstances of the couple’s marriage, saying they knew each other for “just over a month” and that Saroukos was “unable to remember her wedding date just four months prior” and had “unusual activity on her phone.”
Saroukos, 25, arrived in Hawaii on May 17 with an Electronic System for Travel Authorization under DHS’ Visa Waiver Program. It allows citizens of select countries, including Australia, to travel to the United States for business or tourism for stays of up to 90 days without a visa…