A journey to Dubai by a New York student culminated in a terrifying and difficult ending. Elizabeth Polanco De Los Santos, 21, was on her way back to New York when her flight and a buddy were diverted to Dubai instead of Paris.

The journey time was only supposed to be ten hours, and the couple felt it would be ample time to explore the famed city, but for her, it turned into a long-running nightmare. Her ordeal left her with a criminal record and the terrifying prospect of spending a year in prison!

She was arrested for reportedly “assaulting and insulting” a member of the Dubai airport personnel. De Los Santos originally lost her father and underwent surgery before accompanying a buddy to Istanbul because she needed time off, according to the pals:

“We thought it would be a more modern and futuristic city, but we were completely wrong.”

The girl wore a medical waist trainer suit due to her operation, but when she arrived in Dubai on July 14, 2023, a security official told her she needed to remove it. Unfortunately, she was unable to remove and return the costume on her own.

The woman who claimed to assist her allegedly shouted at her, talked Arabic, and injured her wounds while laughing. The student requested assistance from another lady from the officials, and the case against her went as follows:

“I gently touched her arm to guide her out of the way, then desperately started crying to my friend for help.”

Before being permitted to depart the airport, De Los Santos signed the Arabic papers. After a few hours, she returned to the airport to restart her journey to the United States, but she was informed that she had been subjected to a travel ban.

 

 

According to a source, the punishment handed down to De Los Santos after she spent over three months imprisoned in Dubai is incorrect since the student was falsely accused. The searches she was subjected to degraded, humiliated, and injured her.

The founder of the group also mentioned how the American student may be made to remain imprisoned until the procedure is completed.

The event she was involved in has yet to be resolved, and one group is assisting in raising awareness about her case. The founder of the charity detailed what had gone wrong to put the student in such severe straits.

Radha Stirling, the creator of Detained in Dubai, stated in a statement that De Los Santos’ situation has prompted them to advocate for stronger travel warnings for American nationals. Stirling saw that the student had been in Dubai for months when she was only meant to be there for hours.

While trying to disentangle herself from this issue, the Lehman College business arts student reportedly spent and lost $50,000 on attorney bills and other expenses. Because the nation and its attorneys are costly, the fees for the student who works as an operations manager in retail have risen significantly.

De Los Santos has had to drop out of college because she risks a year in prison or being held until she can arrange another trip out of the country. Stirling’s group also highlighted the cases of social media personalities Tierra Allen (Sassy Trucker) and Peter Clark, both victims of the harsh system.

What concerned the founder the most was how simple it is in the country to become a victim, as an allegation may result in a conviction with or without proof. Stirling added: “De Los Santos was even told to offer her accusers money in order for the case to be closed.”

“Elizabeth is extremely worried that she will be detained in the notorious Al Awir prison and won’t (as promised) be allowed to leave the country.”

The founder of the group also mentioned how the American student might be compelled to stay in prison until the procedure is completed, even if her deportation is cleared the next day. Ritchie Torres, the US Embassy, and De Los Santos’ congressional representative are now involved in the case.

Stirling, on the other hand, calls for stronger diplomatic attempts to liberate the student. De Los Santos concluded her argument by stating that she and her buddy had expected Dubai to be a “modern and futuristic city” but were “completely wrong.”