A 60-year-old grandmother and public school educator who has lived in the United States for 27 years has been detained by ICE despite a federal immigration judge dismissing the government’s deportation case against her earlier this year.

Venkata Narsamamba Vasamsetty was taken into custody on Aug. 11, 2026, during a routine immigration check-in in Charlotte, North Carolina. According to federal detention records, she has since been transferred to the Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia.

Her legal team has filed an emergency federal habeas corpus petition challenging the lawfulness of her detention, according to NBC News.

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Vasamsetty has been a Lawful Permanent Resident — Green Card holder — since 2013 and has no criminal record.

The government’s case against her stems from a seven-month trip she took to India in July 2022 to care for her terminally ill parents.

Her return to the United States was delayed until February 2023 due to medical travel restrictions and a severe diagnosis of COVID-19.

Because her time abroad exceeded the standard 180-day threshold, the Department of Homeland Security alleged that she had abandoned her permanent residency status and initiated removal proceedings.

Vasamsetty’s attorneys contested the deportation order, presenting evidence of her deep-rooted ties to the community.

Her immediate family, including two children and two grandchildren, are U.S. citizens. Documents also showed she maintained her employment as a special-needs teacher in Cary, North Carolina, and was under contract to purchase a home while abroad.

On May 19, 2026, an immigration judge officially terminated the deportation proceedings.

The court ruled that DHS failed to meet its legal burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence that Vasamsetty intended to abandon her U.S. residence. Reports indicate the government also missed critical deadlines to submit opposing evidence.

Despite the case being dismissed in May, Vasamsetty continued to comply with mandatory administrative ICE check-ins.

It was during her Aug. 11 appointment that enforcement officers processed her for detention.

Her family has expressed severe concern for her well-being, noting that she suffers from advanced diabetes and requires strict daily medical monitoring and specific medication.

Her attorney, Helen Parsonage, filed an emergency writ of habeas corpus in federal court following the detention.

A federal judge has since ordered immigration authorities to submit a formal response clarifying the legal justification for holding an individual whose removal case was previously terminated. A decision on an expedited bond hearing is currently pending.