Atlanta, Georgia, USA: Venkata Vasamsetty, a longtime US Green Card holder and Wake County substitute teacher, has been granted a $7,500 bond after spending more than two weeks in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
An immigration judge in Georgia ruled on Tuesday, Aug. 25, that Vasamsetty could be released while her immigration case continues. ABC11 reported that the judge found the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had not established that she would flee if released.
Vasamsetty, a lawful permanent resident since 2013, was detained on Aug. 11 after appearing for a scheduled ICE check-in in Charlotte, North Carolina. Her detention attracted attention because an earlier removal case against her had been terminated by an immigration judge.
During Tuesday's bond hearing, DHS attorney Abby Cannon acknowledged that Vasamsetty did not pose a danger to the community but argued that she presented a significant flight risk, according to ABC11.
The government cited Vasamsetty's history of international travel, including extended stays in India. DHS pointed to periods during which she spent 61 days outside the United States in 2019, 96 days in 2021 and 67 days in 2022, arguing that her travel history raised questions about whether she had maintained her permanent US residency.
Vasamsetty's attorney, Helen Parsonage, disputed that characterization. She argued that many of her trips to India were related to caring for her aging parents, including her father before his death.
Parsonage also highlighted Vasamsetty's history of complying with immigration authorities. According to her attorney, Vasamsetty has never missed an immigration court hearing or an ICE check-in. She also continued voluntarily reporting to ICE even after her earlier removal proceedings had been terminated.
Immigration Judge Chad Bayse considered those factors significant and ruled that DHS had not met its burden of demonstrating that Vasamsetty would flee if released.
The judge cited Vasamsetty's extensive ties to the United States, including her husband, two US-citizen daughters, grandchildren, home, tax records dating back to at least 2012, business connections and employment as an elementary school substitute teacher.
Her attorney also noted that Vasamsetty has no criminal history.
Records from the Wake County Public School System show that Vasamsetty was hired as a substitute teacher on June 12, 2023, and remains an active employee. ABC11 reported that she has worked with students with special needs in the school system.
However, Judge Bayse found that some flight risk remained because Vasamsetty had the means and history to travel internationally. He therefore declined to set the minimum bond and instead ordered a $7,500 bond.
Once the bond is posted, Vasamsetty can leave immigration detention. Her family was working to arrange the payment while awaiting her release from the Georgia detention facility.
The bond ruling, however, does not resolve the underlying immigration dispute.
The case centers on Vasamsetty's extended stay in India. In July 2022, she traveled to India to care for her critically ill parents. Her attorneys say she later contracted COVID-19 and was hospitalized for nearly two weeks, delaying her return to the United States until February 2023.
She ultimately spent about seven months outside the country.
After Vasamsetty returned to the United States, immigration authorities alleged that she had abandoned her lawful permanent resident status. She disputed the allegation, arguing that her absence was temporary and that she had maintained substantial personal, financial and family ties to the United States.
Her earlier removal proceedings were eventually terminated after DHS failed to meet a deadline to submit evidence, according to her attorneys. Other reports have also confirmed that an immigration judge terminated the earlier case in May 2026.
Despite that development, Vasamsetty was detained during her Aug. 11 ICE check-in in Charlotte. A new Notice to Appear was subsequently issued, putting her back into removal proceedings.
Her legal team later filed an emergency habeas corpus petition in federal court challenging her continued detention. The government subsequently acknowledged that, under recent precedent in the Middle District of Georgia, Vasamsetty was entitled to a bond hearing.
Tuesday's decision gives Vasamsetty an opportunity to leave detention but does not determine whether she abandoned her permanent residency.
DHS continues to maintain that Vasamsetty's extended periods outside the United States amounted to abandonment of her lawful permanent resident status. Her attorneys argue that her family, home, employment, tax history and other longstanding ties demonstrate that she always intended the United States to remain her permanent home.
DHS has the right to appeal the bond decision. The judge has given the government until Sept. 24 to do so.
For now, Vasamsetty's family is preparing to post the $7,500 bond and bring her home after more than two weeks in immigration detention.
The immigration case itself remains ongoing.
