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US Rep. Deborah Ross calls Venkata Vasamsetty's detention illegal
Ross said her heart goes out to Vasamsetty.
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Staff Reporter - Sat, 22, Aug 2026
- 04:08 EDT
- 74
Congresswoman Deborah Ross / IANS
Rep. Deborah Ross, an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for North Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District, has thrown her support behind Venkata Vasamsetty, an Indian-origin green card holder detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), saying the community will continue working to secure her release.
Vasamsetty, a lawful permanent resident who has lived in the United States for nearly three decades, was detained by ICE on Aug. 11, 2026.
ALSO READ : Indian-origin green card holder grandmother detained by ICE
Vasamsetty, who works with children with special needs in the Wake County Public School System in North Carolina, has held a U.S. green card since 2013. She is also a homeowner, mother and grandmother, with children and grandchildren who are U.S. citizens.
Ross said her heart goes out to Vasamsetty.
“She is being held illegally in a detention facility without her medication, and her family is scared to death about her well-being.”
Ross said she talked with her family in Georgia just this week.
“It is wrong what the government is doing to her. She needs to get out, and she needs to get out now. The entire community is behind her,” she said.
Venkata Vasamsetty has been illegally detained by ICE. She is being denied food and insulin, and shouldn't even be in custody to begin with.
— Congresswoman Deborah Ross (@RepDeborahRoss) August 21, 2026
As a substitute teacher in Cary, she is a hardworking member of our community. We will keep working for her release. pic.twitter.com/0aFDCSMznb
Vasamsetty has been “illegally” detained by ICE. She is being denied food and insulin and shouldn’t even be in custody to begin with. As a substitute teacher in Cary, she is a hardworking member of our community, she said.
“We will keep working for her release,” Ross added.
In 2022, Venkata traveled to India to care for her ill father, and her return was delayed after she contracted COVID-19. When she returned to the United States, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused her of abandoning her residency. When DHS failed to provide evidence in court, an immigration judge dismissed her case on May 19, 2026, allowing her to keep her green card.
Even after the case was dismissed, ICE failed to update its records. Venkata continued reporting as instructed, bringing a copy of the judge’s order with her.
On Aug. 11, she went to the Charlotte ICE office with her daughter and was detained instead of being released from further check-ins.
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