1 week ago
Indian-Origin Teacher Detained Despite Dismissed Immigration Case
Venkata Narasamamba Vasamsetty is a 60-year-old woman originally from Andhra Pradesh, India.
She has lived in the United States since 1999 and became a green-card holder in 2013.
She worked as a substitute teacher and raised two daughters in North Carolina.
In 2022, she went to India to care for her sick father and became ill with COVID-19.
This made her stay outside the United States for more than six months.
The government said this might mean she had given up her green card.
An immigration judge ended her deportation case in May because the government had not shown enough proof.
ICE later detained her at a required appointment, and another judge set bond at $7,500 while the larger residency dispute continues.
Venkata Narasamamba Vasamsetty, 60, moved to the United States in 1999 and received a green card in 2013.
The former Wake County substitute teacher raised two U.S.-citizen daughters and has U.S.-citizen grandchildren.
After a 2022 India trip was extended by illness and caregiving, DHS accused her of abandoning permanent residency.
An immigration judge terminated her removal proceedings on May 19, finding insufficient clear and convincing evidence that she was removable.
ICE detained Vasamsetty at a Charlotte check-in on August 11; a judge later set bond at $7,500, while her family worked to secure her release.
- Who
- Venkata Narasamamba Vasamsetty, a 60-year-old Indian-origin U.S. lawful permanent resident, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
- What
- She was detained during an ICE check-in despite an immigration judge having terminated her removal proceedings; a later bond hearing set bond at $7,500.
- Where
- She was detained at an ICE office in Charlotte, North Carolina, and transferred to the Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, Georgia.
- When
- She was detained on August 11, after her removal proceedings were terminated on May 19.
- Why
- The Department of Homeland Security alleged that her extended absence during a 2022 trip to India showed she had abandoned her lawful permanent residency.
Vasamsetty’s Family and Legal Team
Department of Homeland Security
Whether residency was abandoned
Vasamsetty’s Family and Legal Team
Her attorney and family say her extended India trips were connected to caring for her aging or ailing parents and that she never intended to abandon her U.S. home, family, employment, or permanent residency.
Department of Homeland Security
DHS argues that her prolonged absence from the United States indicated she had abandoned her lawful permanent residency.
Flight risk and bond
Vasamsetty’s Family and Legal Team
Her attorney cited her husband, U.S.-citizen children and grandchildren, home, employment, and clean tax and criminal record as evidence that she would return to proceedings.
Department of Homeland Security
DHS attorney Abby Cannon acknowledged that Vasamsetty posed no danger but argued she was a flight risk, citing her travel patterns, including 61 days in the United States in 2019, 96 in 2021, and 67 in 2022.
Detention after the immigration ruling
Vasamsetty’s Family and Legal Team
Her family and legal team say ICE should honor the May 19 order terminating proceedings and have raised concerns about her medical care and food while detained.
Department of Homeland Security
DHS continued to maintain that she abandoned her residency. The articles do not provide a further DHS explanation for detaining her after the removal case was terminated.
Key facts
- Age
- 60
- U.S. arrival
- 1999
- Green card
- Obtained in 2013
- Immigration ruling
- Removal proceedings terminated on May 19
- Detention date
- August 11
- Bond
- $7,500, approximately Rs 7.14 lakh
- Detention facility
- Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, Georgia
Sources
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