NC teacher and grandmother detained by ICE despite dismissed case, later released on bond
Venkata Vasamsetty, a green card holder since 2013 who moved to the U.S. from India in 1999, works as a special-needs substitute teacher with Wake County Public School System in Cary, North Carolina, and is a grandmother. Her immigration troubles began after a 2022 trip to India to care for her ill father, during which she contracted COVID-19 and remained abroad for more than seven months, prompting DHS to allege she had abandoned her permanent residency. An immigration judge dismissed that case after DHS missed a court deadline, but she was detained anyway during a scheduled check-in at the Charlotte ICE office and transferred to a detention facility in rural south Georgia. Her daughter Teja, an immigration attorney, said she was shackled during the arrest while family members pleaded with officers. Family members said she is severely diabetic and had not received proper insulin, medications, or food in custody. After more than two weeks in detention, an immigration judge in Georgia ordered her release on a $7,500 bond, citing her long-standing U.S. ties, including her husband, two U.S.-citizen daughters, grandchildren, a home, tax returns dating back to 2012, and her substitute teaching job, as well as her history of never missing a court appearance or check-in.






















