- ICE detained a green card holder during a routine check-in despite a judge dismissing her removal case in May.
- The 73-year-old grandmother is denied culturally appropriate food and medical care for her insulin-dependent Type 2 diabetes.
- Government officials admitted she is eligible for a bond hearing following an emergency habeas corpus petition filing.
Venkata Narsamamba Vasamsetty was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on August 11, 2026, during a scheduled check-in in Charlotte, North Carolina, after living in the United States for 27 years with a green card. She has held Lawful Permanent Resident status since 2013.
An immigration judge had dismissed the Department of Homeland Security’s removal case against her on May 19. The judge found that the government had not shown by “clear and convincing evidence” that she abandoned her residency.
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Vasamsetty is now held at Georgia’s Irwin County Detention Center, according to the ICE Online Detainee Locator System. Her lawyers filed an emergency habeas corpus petition on August 12 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia.
The government later acknowledged that she should receive a bond hearing. Its August 15 response said she should be treated as detained under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a), a provision that permits release on bond.
Her detention followed a dispute over whether ICE’s records reflected the judge’s order.
ICE records became a central issue after the May dismissal
Zoe Wilson, Vasamsetty’s attorney, said officials at the Charlotte field office told her that Vasamsetty “isn't a green card holder.” Wilson also said officials told the legal team that internal records had not been updated after the May 19 dismissal.
A federal judge in the Middle District of Georgia ordered the agency on August 13 to explain the legal basis for holding Vasamsetty within three days. The government’s August 15 filing followed that order and conceded her eligibility for a bond hearing based on recent court precedents, including B.A.M.A. v. Warden.
The court case is identified as Vasamsetty v. Warden of Irwin County Detention Center, Case No. 7:26-cv-00228. The filing places the immediate dispute on custody and bond, while the earlier immigration ruling addressed the government’s abandonment allegation.
The case centered on a seven-month absence from the United States
DHS alleged that Vasamsetty abandoned her permanent-resident status during a stay in India lasting from July 2022 to February 2023. The absence lasted seven months.
USCIS policy says an absence of more than 180 days can create a “presumption of abandonment” for a permanent resident. Vasamsetty answered with medical records, saying a severe bout of COVID-19 delayed her return and that she had been caring for critically ill parents.
The immigration judge rejected the government’s case on May 19. That ruling did not prevent the later detention at the Charlotte check-in.
Vasamsetty’s family and work ties are in North Carolina. She is a grandmother of two U.S. citizens and teaches special-needs students in the Wake County Public School System.
Her legal team says she is insulin-dependent because of Type 2 diabetes. The team also reports inadequate medical care and a lack of culturally appropriate diabetic food at the Georgia detention center.
“isn't a green card holder”
Wilson attributed that statement to officials at the Charlotte office. The government’s later court response classified Vasamsetty under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a), the bond-hearing provision cited in the filing.
The detention comes amid wider enforcement of Indian nationals
DHS data shows that ICE detained more than 27,800 Indian nationals between 2022 and 2025. The figure covers the broader enforcement period, not only permanent residents or people accused of abandonment.
Vasamsetty’s case has drawn attention to how field-office records interact with immigration-court orders. Her lawyers characterize the detention as unlawful because a judge had already terminated the removal proceedings.
The government’s August 15 filing did not erase the earlier ruling. Instead, it recognized that Vasamsetty is entitled to a hearing where an immigration judge can consider bond under the cited statute.
Her custody therefore remains tied to the next stage of the federal case and the bond process. The court required the government’s legal explanation by August 16, three days after its August 13 order.
This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney about your specific case.
