An Indian-origin jazz musician was arrested by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement for allegedly overstaying his visa on August 2. He released a video announcing that he has finally been released after being detained for 14 days and said that his time there “changed me forever”.
In a statement that his girlfriend posted on his behalf, Pritesh Walia said that he was “unexpectedly” detained after he returned to Los Angeles on August 2 and was taken into custody before being transferred to the Adelanto ICE Processing Centre.
After he was released, he posted a video detailing the ordeals of his detention. He said that he felt “scared, hopeless, and completely broken”.
He said that he was granted bond, after which he went home and thanked the judge, his lawyer, his girlfriend, his family and members of the music community for supporting him during the detention.
“14 days that changed me forever. Grateful beyond words for my family, my girlfriend, my lawyer, and every single person who stood by me. The love from the jazz and music community restored my faith in humanity YOU gave me hope. Taking a few days to heal, breathe, and be with my loved ones. Thank you,” he wrote on Instagram.
“When you are sitting in a detention facility, the world feels very small. And it’s very easy to lose hope, and I lost hope all the time. But hearing that so many people had come together, that people were fighting for me, that there were hundreds of messages waiting for me, it gave me something to hold onto. It reminded me that kindness is still real and alive,” Walia said in the video.
Born and raised in New Delhi, Walia began his musical training at age 13 in Indian classical music. He later moved to the United States to pursue higher education, earning degrees from several prestigious music institutions.
Indian-Origin Woman Detained By ICE
In a separate case of detention of an Indian-origin person, a woman who has lived in the US for 27 years and is a Green Card holder has been detained by ICE, even after an immigration judge dismissed an effort to remove her from the country months ago.
Venkata Narsamamba Vasamsetty, a grandmother of two who has been a lawful permanent resident (LPR) in the United States since 2013, was taken into custody during a scheduled ICE check-in on August 11.
Read | Indian-Origin Grandma, Living In US For 27 Years With Green Card, Detained By ICE
She is being held at an ICE detention facility in Georgia, despite a US judge’s May ruling terminating the government’s prior deportation case against her, Newsweek reported, citing data collected through ICE’s Online Detainee Locator System.
The case against Vasamsetty’s immigration status reportedly stemmed from a federal government’s allegation that she had abandoned her lawful permanent residency when she spent several months in India in 2022.
However, her family and lawyer argue that during her extended stay in India, Vasamsetty was taking care of an ailing parent and recovering from COVID-19. They also argue that Vasamsetty maintains substantial ties to the United States through her family, employment, and home.
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