'Isn't a Green Card Holder': ICE Cuffs Diabetic Grandmother of 27 Years After Judge Dismissed Case

An Indian-origin grandmother and special-needs educator who has lived in the United States for 27 years has been detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Charlotte, North Carolina. Venkata Vasamsetty was taken into custody during a routine check-in on 11 August and transferred to the Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia. Authorities claim she 'isn't a green card holder' despite a judge throwing out her deportation proceedings just months prior.

ICE Detains Grandmother After Judge Dismissed Case

For context, the deportation case against Ms Vasamsetty collapsed on 19 May this year. An immigration judge dismissed the matter after the Department of Homeland Security reportedly missed a court deadline to submit supporting evidence. Her legal team has now mounted an urgent challenge in federal court by filing an emergency habeas corpus petition to secure her release.

Despite the formal dismissal, Ms Vasamsetty complied with every administrative instruction and continued to attend her scheduled ICE check-ins. When she arrived for her routine appointment at the Charlotte field office, armed with court orders demonstrating that her proceedings were terminated, officers handcuffed her on the spot.

Her immigration attorney Zoe Wilson described the arrest as a wild disregard for due process. She stated that her client walked in to that check in with all of her documents, the order from the immigration judge saying that her proceedings had been terminated, and proof of her lawful permanent residence.

Ms Wilson noted that ICE decided to cuff her and detain her anyway, claiming she 'isn't a green card holder', leaving her with no warning, no notice, and no opportunity to prepare. Why detain someone who has fully complied with every court mandate and won their dismissal?

Disputed Absences and the Green Card Status

The dispute over Ms Vasamsetty's legal status originally began following a seven-month trip to India across 2022 and 2023, where she travelled to care for her ailing parents. Her stay abroad was extended after she contracted Covid-19, which resulted in a two-week hospitalisation and lingering medical complications that severely delayed her return.

When she finally flew back through Raleigh-Durham International Airport in February 2023, officials alleged that her extended absence constituted an abandonment of her permanent residency. According to her attorney, Ms Vasamsetty has held lawful permanent resident status since 2013 and has zero criminal record, making the abrupt detention even more baffling.

Ms Wilson explained that her client never intended to relinquish her life in America and was actually finalising the purchase of a new home in North Carolina while abroad. She explained on LinkedIn that her client wasn't packing up her life in the United States, nor was she moving back to India or leaving with the intention of giving up her green card.

At the time she left, she was literally in the process of buying a home in North Carolina to be her primary residence, and she completed that purchase while in India.

Detained Grandmother Faces Urgent Health Care Concerns

The sudden detention has sparked serious alarm regarding Ms Vasamsetty's physical well-being. A Change.org campaign launched in support of the grandmother notes that she suffers from severe insulin-dependent Diabetes Mellitus, requiring rigorous daily medication, blood sugar monitoring, and specialised meals. This is the sort of basic healthcare stuff that detention facilities notoriously mishandle on a regular basis.

Campaigners point out that the Irwin County facility in Ocilla, Georgia, where she is currently held, was previously shut down in 2021 following allegations of human rights abuses before being quietly reopened. Advocates argue that the legal dismissal of her immigration case should have guaranteed her freedom, yet this dangerous oversight persists.

The petition states she has been provided inadequate care and no appropriate accommodations for culturally sensitive food that is appropriate for a diabetic. ICE has been contacted for comment regarding the ongoing detention and the pressing medical claims raised by her legal representatives, but IBTimes UK cannot independently verify these claims, so take everything lightly.