Deportation case dismissed, but Andhra woman lands in ICE detention in US
Venkata Narasamamba Vasamsetty, a lawful permanent resident, recently found herself in a troubling situation when ICE officials detained her, despite a judge terminating her immigration case in May. She has always been compliant with check-ins and carried the judge's order. Now, as she faces detention in Georgia, her family is urgently seeking help to ensure her release.
Narasamamba Vasamsetty, a lifelong resident of the United States who taught, mothered and became a grandmother, saw her immigration case dismissed in May. Yet on August 11, she was detained by ICE in Georgia, leaving her relatives baffled over how this could happen after a judge had ruled against her removal.
Born in Andhra Pradesh, Vasamsetty relocated to the US in 1999 when her software professional husband established roots there. She earned her green card in 2013, worked as a teacher in Wake County and raised two US citizen daughters, one of whom is a doctor and the other an immigration lawyer.
Vasamsetty occasionally visited her ailing father in India between 2019 and July 2022. Upon her return, the Department of Homeland Security alleged she had abandoned her lawful permanent residency by staying out of the country for an extended period. Despite this, she remained at home, subject to regular ICE check-ins in Charlotte.
ICE check-ins continued even after a judge ruled in May that the government couldn't prove Narasamamba was removable as charged, leading to the termination of removal proceedings. On July 11, she arrived for a scheduled ERO check-in with her daughter, only to be informed her detention had begun.
Her family claims she suffers from severe insulin-dependent diabetes and has been denied proper medical care and nutrition while detained. They have contacted the Indian Embassy, the Ministry of External Affairs and the ICE in hopes of securing her release.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
