'They just laughed' says Delta passenger of customs officials who mistook her for a victim of human trafficking

An Asian-American woman, who was returning from an international vacation on a Delta Air Lines flight, claimed she was profiled after authorities mistook her for a victim of human trafficking.

Stephanie Ung told WXIA website that she and her friend were returning to Atlanta for Thanksgiving after celebrating her birthday in Cancun, Mexico. But upon their arrival on Thursday (23 November), they were stopped and questioned for over an hour by US Customs and Border Protection officials.

"I just kept telling them that I wanted to go home for my family Thanksgiving dinner and that they were making me late, but they just didn't care."

"They just laughed," she told the website in tears.

According to Delta Air Lines spokesperson, Michael Thomas, a customer had told a flight attendant that the two passengers didn't have their passports, which is an indication of a possible human trafficking case.

The flight attendant then alerted the aircraft's captain, who notified local authorities.

The woman, however, said that she was in possession of her own passport throughout the flight. She also said that the Delta Air Lines and the co-passenger who alerted the crew should "mind [their] own business."

Ung has also alleged that she was stopped because of her race.

"I know human trafficking is huge within the Asian community...and that's the only reason why I could see you stopping me. That and the fact that I was in a dress....I think it's just the fact that I'm Asian, she's (Ung's friend) Asian, and we're two little girls on the plane," Ung added.

Delta has refuted the claims saying that the incident had nothing to do with her ethnicity or dress.