27 years in US, valid Green Card: Why US detained Indian-origin grandma
Grandmother with 27 Years in America and a Valid Green Card Held by ICE
Bharatmorningnews.com – Venkata Narsamamba Vasamsetty, a grandmother of two who has resided in the United States for nearly three decades, found herself locked in ICE custody on August 11 during what was supposed to be a routine immigration check-in. She has held a lawful permanent resident card since 2013, yet authorities took her into detention nonetheless.
The Government’s Case
Federal officials argued that Vasamsetty effectively gave up her US residency by spending an extended period in India during 2022. Her family and legal team countered that the trip was driven by necessity: she flew home to look after her critically ill parents. While there, she contracted COVID-19 and developed additional medical complications that prevented her from returning on schedule.
Immigration attorney Zoe Wilson confirmed that Vasamsetty re-entered the country via Raleigh-Durham International Airport in February 2023, after roughly seven months abroad.
A Life Rooted in North Carolina
Wilson emphasized that her client carries no criminal record, has continuously maintained lawful status, and works as a public school teacher specializing in special-needs education. Two of her children and two of her grandchildren are US citizens.
“She has been a Lawful Permanent Resident, a green card holder, since 2013. She has NO criminal history. She is a public school teacher who primarily works with special-needs children. She is a mother to two U.S. citizen children. She has two US citizen grandchildren. Her home, her family, her career, and her life are here and have been here for over 27 years.”
Wilson added that Vasamsetty is “severely diabetic” and “requires glucose monitoring and medical care.”
The Judge’s Dismissal and What Followed
USCIS guidelines make clear that permanent residents may travel freely, noting that “temporary or brief travel usually does not affect your permanent resident status.” Vasamsetty submitted documentation proving she kept her US life intact while abroad. Her attorney, Helen Parsonage, told NRI Pulse that DHS missed a court-imposed deadline for presenting evidence in its case. An immigration judge subsequently threw out the removal proceedings on May 19, 2026.
Even after that dismissal, Vasamsetty kept showing up for her scheduled ICE check-ins. Then, on August 11, she was detained. Wilson reported that ICE now asserts she “isn’t a green card holder.”
Emergency Legal Action
Two days later, on August 13, her legal team filed an emergency habeas corpus petition contesting the detention. A federal judge ordered immigration authorities to explain, within three days, the legal basis for continuing to hold her.
Per NRI Pulse reporting, ICE’s most recent court filing neither concedes the detention was unlawful nor directs her release. It does, however, signal that should the federal court apply its recent precedent, Vasamsetty would be entitled to have an immigration judge evaluate whether she qualifies for release on bond. If the court sides with the government, a bond hearing is expected within seven days.
“She wasn’t packing up her life in the United States. She wasn’t moving back to India. She wasn’t 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. Then, while she was in India, she completed that purchase.”
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