Indian American Teacher Venkata Gets Bail After ICE Case Dismissed

Venkata Narasamamba Vasamsetty, 59, is expected to leave the Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, Georgia, after an immigration judge set bail at $7,500 on Wednesday. The judge found that the Department of Homeland Security had not shown she was a flight risk, according to state Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, who announced the decision on X.

Vasamsetty, a Wake County substitute teacher and green card holder, had been in custody since August 11, when she reported for a routine ICE check-in in Charlotte. Her family said she was taken into custody and transferred to Georgia. More than 50 relatives, friends, and coworkers attended her virtual bond hearing, and a petition seeking her release gathered over 8,000 signatures.

The case stems from a 2022 trip to India to visit her ailing father. She contracted COVID-19 and stayed longer than six months, prompting DHS to allege she had abandoned her lawful permanent resident status. An immigration judge terminated removal proceedings in May, ruling the government lacked clear and convincing evidence, but ICE continued to require check-ins.

Vasamsetty, who has lived in the U.S. since 1999 and obtained her green card in 2013, has severe insulin-dependent diabetes. Her family has said she did not receive adequate medical care or proper food while detained. Her two daughters, one a doctor and the other an immigration attorney, and her grandchildren are U.S. citizens.

Chaudhuri thanked supporters and Rep. Deborah Ross for speaking out, but said the detention should never have happened. "While I'm relieved this nightmare is ending, it should never have happened to her, or to anyone," he wrote. "Wake County is ready to welcome her home."