A 21-year-old American college student has been sentenced to one year in prison in Dubai after being accused of “assaulting and insulting” airport staff during a layover, according to legal experts.
Elizabeth Polanco De Los Santos was barred from boarding her flight on July 15 while transiting through Dubai International Airport on her return trip from Istanbul to New York. During the process, she was subjected to searches she described as unpleasant, humiliating, and offensive.
“Elizabeth’s experience transiting through Dubai International Airport has compelled our organization, Detained in Dubai, to call for stronger travel warnings for U.S. citizens,” said Radha Stirling, the group’s founder, in a statement. “She only intended to be in transit for six hours, yet she has been stuck there for months, losing more than $50,000 in expenses and legal fees. She has now been told she faces a one-year prison sentence, though if all ‘goes well,’ she may only remain in custody until she can secure a flight out of the UAE.”
Polanco De Los Santos was traveling with a friend and had a 10-hour layover in Dubai. According to a statement released by Detained in Dubai, she was ordered by security personnel to remove a medical waist-training brace prescribed by her doctor. She reluctantly complied and was escorted to a private booth, where female security officers removed the brace in what she described as a “rough” manner.
“I felt completely violated,” the student said, describing the experience as “uncomfortable and frightening.”
After the search came back clear, Polanco De Los Santos attempted to put the brace back on — a process that typically requires assistance. She asked for help, but the officers blocked her exit. In the process, she gently moved one officer aside while calling her friend in distress.
“I lightly touched her arm to guide her out of the way, then broke down crying to my friend for help,” she recalled. Despite being cleared in the search, she was detained for allegedly “touching the female customs officer.” She remained in custody for several hours while the officers filed a formal complaint accusing her of “assault and insult.”
Since the incident, Polanco De Los Santos has been unable to return home to New York. Her apartment lease has expired, and classes at Lehman College, where she is enrolled, have already resumed, according to The Economic Times.
A court ruling on August 24 initially fined her AED 10,000 (approximately $4,500), but customs officials appealed the decision. A new hearing has been scheduled for October 24, and according to Detained in Dubai, the student may face jail time.
Her case follows that of Tierra Young Allen, another American detained in Dubai after being accused of shouting in public and violating the country’s obscenity law. Allen was eventually released and returned to the United States after four months of detention.
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