RAJAHMUNDRY: For nearly three decades, Venkata Narasamamba Vasamsetty built a life in the United States as a teacher, mother, and grandmother.Her immigration case was terminated by a judge in May, leaving her a lawful permanent resident. Yet on Aug 11, she was taken into ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) custody and transferred to a detention centre in Georgia, leaving her family questioning how she could be detained after a judge had dismissed her removal proceedings.
Narasamamba, from a village near Amalapuram in Andhra Pradesh’s Konaseema district, moved to the US in 1999 after her husband, a software professional, settled there. She obtained her green card in 2013, worked as a teacher in Wake County public school and raised two daughters — one a doctor and the other an immigration lawyer. Her children and grandchildren are US citizens.According to her family, she regularly travelled to India to visit her ailing father. In July 2022, she returned when his health deteriorated. She contracted Covid-19 during the visit, which delayed her return to the US by more than six months.When she returned, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused her of abandoning her permanent residency by remaining outside the country for an extended period. She was allowed to remain at home while the case proceeded, subject to regular ICE check-ins in Charlotte.Narasamamba complied with every appointment. Her attorney submitted extensive documentation showing that she had never intended to abandon her home, family, employment or permanent residency in the US. After DHS failed to meet the court’s deadline to substantiate its allegations, the case ultimately collapsed.On May 19, the judge found that the government could not provide “clear and convincing evidence” that Narasamamba was removable as charged and terminated the removal proceedings, leaving her a lawful permanent resident.The ICE check-ins, however, continued. On July 11, she reported for a scheduled ERO check-in carrying a copy of the judge’s order. Instead of being told she no longer needed to report, she was reportedly asked to return the following month because ICE’s records had not been updated and her attorney was unavailable that day. On Aug. 11, she returned to the Charlotte ICE office with her daughter. She did not come out.According to her family, she was taken into custody and transported to Irwin County detention center in Ocilla, Georgia, a facility that has previously faced scrutiny over reported conditions and alleged abuses.Her detention is especially concerning because Narasamamba reportedly has severe insulin-dependent diabetes and requires daily medication and close medical monitoring. Her family alleged that she has received inadequate care and not been given appropriate food for her condition. They have approached the Indian Embassy in the US and the Ministry of External Affairs seeking assistance. They have also appealed to ICE to release her and respect the immigration judge’s order terminating her removal case.
