Teacher With Green Card Detained By ICE

India-West News Desk

RALEIGH, NC – Venkata Vasamsetty, who has lived in the United States for about 30 years and held a Green Card since 2013, has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement even after an immigration court terminated her removal proceedings earlier this year.

Vasamsetty is a teacher with the Wake County Public School System in North Carolina and owns a home in the state. She has two U.S. citizen daughters and U.S. citizen grandchildren. Her family said she has no criminal record and has never received a speeding ticket.

The case began when Vasamsetty traveled to India in July 2022 to visit her father, who was suffering from several medical conditions. She contracted Covid in November and was hospitalized in India for nearly two weeks, delaying her return. She returned to the U.S. in February 2023 after spending seven months abroad.

At Raleigh-Durham International Airport, the Department of Homeland Security questioned Vasamsetty about the length of her absence and raised whether she intended to abandon her permanent resident status. Her family said she had no intention of leaving the U.S. and was in the process of purchasing a home in North Carolina.

ICE allowed her to return home but required her to report regularly to its Charlotte office. Her family said she attended every ICE appointment and provided documents explaining the circumstances that had delayed her return from India.

An immigration court later ruled in Vasamsetty’s favor, finding that the Department of Homeland Security had not met its “burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence” that she was removable. The court terminated her case on May 19, 2026.

Vasamsetty was scheduled to appear for another ICE appointment on July 11. She went to the appointment with the court order, but officials asked her to return a month later, saying ICE’s records had not been updated.

When she reported for the rescheduled appointment on August 11, Vasamsetty was detained and taken to the Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, Georgia.

Her daughter, Yashaswini Vasamsetty, is an employment-based immigration attorney licensed in Texas and New Jersey. Yashaswini’s friend, Zoe Ji Wilson, has shared details of the case as the family collects signatures for a “Free Venkata” campaign.

Wilson said Vasamsetty who is severely diabetic, was detained without warning and did not have her insulin, medication or medical supplies with her.