October 3rd 2023.
Elizabeth Polanco De Los Santos, a 21-year-old university student at Lehman College in the Bronx, was arrested at Dubai International Airport in July during her layover on her way home from a trip to Istanbul. According to London-based NGO Detained in Dubai, De Los Santos was asked to remove her medical waist trainer, which she had to wear following a surgery earlier this year. Despite her attempts to comply, she was struggling due to her medical condition and two female security guards refused to help her, instead laughing and speaking in Arabic.
De Los Santos then became desperate and, out of fear and frustration, gently touched the arm of one of the female officials in an effort to get her attention. She immediately started crying to her friend for help. Detained in Dubai said that the entire interaction left De Los Santos feeling embarrassed and violated.
A male customs officer then allowed her friend to help her remove the medical device, but upon doing so, De Los Santos was told she was being detained for assault and a travel ban was placed on her. She was prevented from leaving the country as she was forced to sign a document in Arabic.
The situation has cost De Los Santos over $50,000 in expenses and lawyer's costs. Earlier this week, she was sentenced to one year in prison and ordered to pay 10,000 Emirati dirham for the incident. Despite the officials reportedly planning to deport her after she paid the fine, the customs officials filed an appeal before she could leave.
The US State Department has issued a Level 2 Travel Advisory for the UAE and encourages US citizens to exercise increased caution while traveling in the country. They also advise travelers to familiarize themselves with local laws before traveling abroad. Public decency and morality laws in the UAE are much stricter than in the US and can include making rude gestures, swearing, touching another person without his/her permission, and making derogatory statements about the UAE, the royal families, the local governments or other people.
The State Department urges travelers to be aware of cultural differences and that unwitting actions, even clothing choices, may invite unwanted attention. Detained in Dubai said they are in touch with De Los Santos’s congressperson, New York Rep Ritchie Torres. The US State Department has not yet commented on the situation.
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