“No warning. No notice. No opportunity to prepare."
An Indian-origin green card holder who has lived in the US for 27 years was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), months after an immigration judge dismissed her deportation case.
Venkata Vasamsetty, a grandmother and special-needs educator in North Carolina, was detained during a scheduled ICE check-in on August 11, 2026.
According to ICE’s Online Detainee Locator System, she is being held at the Irwin County Detention Centre in Georgia.
Mrs Vasamsetty’s legal team has challenged her detention in federal court through an emergency habeas corpus petition.
Her immigration attorney, Zoe Wilson, said Mrs Vasamsetty has been a lawful permanent resident since 2013 and has no criminal history.
The dispute began after Mrs Vasamsetty spent around seven months in India between 2022 and 2023 caring for her ill parents.
Her return to the US was delayed after she contracted Covid-19 and was hospitalised for nearly two weeks.
She experienced further health problems that prevented her from making the journey home sooner.
According to Ms Wilson, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) argued that her client’s prolonged absence indicated she had abandoned her US permanent residency.
In a LinkedIn post, Ms Wilson said: “She wasn’t packing up her life in the United States. She wasn’t moving back to India. She wasn’t leaving with the intention of giving up her green card.
“At the time she left, she was literally in the process of buying a home in North Carolina to be her primary residence. Then, while she was in India, she completed that purchase.
“After she was discharged, there were other medical issues that further delayed her ability to make a long international trip.
“When she was finally well enough to travel, she returned home to the United States through Raleigh-Durham International Airport in February 2023. She had been outside the country for about seven months.”
Mrs Vasamsetty’s immigration case was dismissed by a judge on May 19, 2026. According to Mrs Wilson, DHS failed to meet a court deadline to submit evidence supporting its case.
Despite the dismissal, Mrs Vasamsetty continued attending required ICE check-ins.
At her check-in at the Charlotte ICE office on August 11, she was detained before being transferred to the detention facility in Georgia.
Ms Wilson said: “While Mrs Vasamsetty’s case was pending with the Immigration Court, she was required to do check-ins with ICE.
“Even though her case had already been terminated, she was scheduled for one at the Charlotte ICE office this past Tuesday, on August 11th, 2026.
“She walked into that check-in with all of her documents – the order from the Immigration Judge saying that her proceedings had been terminated, proof of her lawful permanent residence.
“ICE decided to cuff her and detain her anyway. They claim she ‘Isn’t a green card holder’.
“No warning. No notice. No opportunity to prepare.”
A Change.org petition supporting Mrs Vasamsetty’s release has also raised concerns about her health and treatment while detained.
“Venkata has severe insulin-dependent Diabetes Mellitus and requires daily medications and close monitoring.
“She has been provided inadequate care and no appropriate accommodations for culturally sensitive food that is appropriate for a diabetic.
“She was taken to the notorious Irwin County Detention Centre in Ocilla, Georgia, recently reopened after having been shut down in 2021 following worrying reports of abuse and human rights violations.
“The legal dismissal of her immigration case should have ensured her freedom, yet this oversight persists.
“It’s crucial to address this grave error immediately, not just for Venkata, but for the principles of justice and humanity.
“We are calling on ICE to release Venkata Vasamsetty, respecting the lawful ruling and allowing her to return to her vital roles in her family and our community.”
