Venkata Vasamsetty, an Indian-origin teacher and Green Card holder who has lived in the United States for 30 years, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in August despite a court ruling ending her removal proceedings. Her daughter, an employment-based immigration attorney, and family members have launched a campaign seeking her release. Vasamsetty obtained her Green Card in 2013 and works in the Wake County Public School System in North Carolina. She owns a home and has two U.S. citizen daughters and grandchildren. The family states she has no criminal record. In 2022, she traveled to India to visit her ailing father and contracted COVID-19, requiring hospitalization. She returned in February 2023 after seven months abroad. Officials at Raleigh-Durham airport questioned her extended absence, citing possible abandonment of residency. She was later allowed to return home but required to check in regularly with ICE. A court terminated the case in May 2026, finding insufficient evidence of removability. However, she was detained during an August appointment at the Charlotte office and sent to Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia. Her family noted she lacked medication for her diabetes at the time of arrest.
