Indian-Origin US Green Card Holder Detained During ICE Check-In Despite Residing In The US For 27 Years

A routine check-in with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took an unexpected turn for Venkata Narsamamba Vasamsetty, who was detained despite having lived in the United States for 27 years and holding a valid Green Card since 2013.

The grandmother of two was taken into ICE custody on August 11, months after an immigration judge had dismissed proceedings seeking her removal from the country, according to Newsweek, which cited data from ICE’s Online Detainee Locator System.

Why Was Vasamsetty Detained?

According to Newsweek, the federal government has alleged that Vasamsetty abandoned her lawful permanent residency after spending about seven months in India in 2022.

Her family and lawyers, however, say she travelled to India to care for her critically ill parents and was unable to return as planned after contracting COVID-19 and developing other health complications.

Immigration attorney Zoe Wilson said Vasamsetty eventually returned to the US through Raleigh-Durham International Airport in February 2023.

Wilson told Newsweek that Vasamsetty had no intention of giving up her US residence while she was in India. She said Vasamsetty was in the process of purchasing a home in North Carolina before leaving for India and completed the purchase while she was there.

“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,” Wilson said, according to the media outlet.

Her attorney, Helen Parsonage, separately told NRI Pulse that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had argued that Vasamsetty’s extended stay in India demonstrated that she had abandoned her permanent residency.

Who Is Venkata Narsamamba Vasamsetty?

According to Wilson, Vasamsetty has no criminal history and has maintained her life in the US for more than two decades. She works as a public school teacher, primarily with students with special needs, and has two US citizen children and two US citizen grandchildren.

Wilson also said Vasamsetty is “severely diabetic” and requires regular glucose monitoring and medical care.

“She has been a Lawful Permanent Resident, a green card holder, since 2013. She has NO criminal history. She is a public school teacher who primarily works with special-needs children,” Wilson said in a statement quoted by Newsweek.

US immigration rules allow lawful permanent residents to travel outside the country. However, extended absences can lead immigration authorities to examine whether a person intended to abandon their US residence.

According to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) guidance, permanent residents are generally free to travel outside the US, while temporary or brief trips usually do not affect their permanent resident status.

Immigration Judge Had Dismissed Removal Proceedings

Vasamsetty’s lawyers said she had provided documents showing that she continued to maintain significant ties to the US while she was in India.

Parsonage told NRI Pulse that DHS failed to meet a court-imposed deadline to provide evidence supporting its case. An immigration judge subsequently dismissed the removal proceedings against Vasamsetty on May 19, 2026.

Despite the dismissal, Vasamsetty continued to attend scheduled ICE check-ins until she was detained on August 11.

Wilson has said ICE is now taking the position that Vasamsetty “isn't a green card holder”.

What Happens Next?

On August 13, Vasamsetty’s legal team filed an emergency habeas corpus petition challenging her detention. A federal judge subsequently ordered immigration authorities to explain within three days the legal basis for holding her.

According to NRI Pulse, ICE’s latest filing does not concede that Vasamsetty’s detention was unlawful or direct her release. However, the filing reportedly indicates that if the federal court applies its recent precedent, she could be entitled to have an immigration judge consider whether she should be released on bond.

If the federal court rules in favour of the government, Vasamsetty is expected to receive a bond hearing within seven days, the NRI Pulse report said.