Indian-origin grandma with a green card detained by ICE after 27 years in US

In North Carolina, an Indian-born woman named Venkata Vasamsetty, who holds a green card and has resided in the United States for 27 years, was recently detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This came months after an immigration judge dismissed a deportation case against her. Currently, she is held at the Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia, as per ICE's Online Detainee Locator System.

The US government accuses Vasamsetty of abandoning her lawful permanent residency after spending several months in India for health reasons in 2022. However, her lawyer and family dispute these claims, asserting that she continued her ties to the US through employment, family, and residence. Vasamsetty, a grandmother who specializes in teaching special-needs students, has lived in the US since 2013.

While green card holders generally enjoy the right to live indefinitely in the US, they can still be subject to deportation in certain situations. The Department of Homeland Security reported that over 1.3 million green cards were issued in fiscal year 2025. Vasamsetty's detention is currently under challenge, with her legal team filing an emergency habeas corpus petition. A federal judge has ordered ICE to explain the legal justification for her detention within three days.