ICE enforcement drives detain several Telugu-speaking Indian nationals across US states
HYDERABAD: Several Indian nationals, including Telugu-speaking persons, were briefly taken into custody by United States immigration authorities during a week-long enforcement operation across Minnesota, Texas and California, amid intensified checks by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
According to media reports, the operation involved checks at workplaces and public areas, where individuals were questioned about their immigration status. Authorities described it as one of the largest recent enforcement drives in Minnesota, with tens of people taken into custody during the exercise.
Two Indian students from the Telugu community were detained by federal agents at a store in St Louis Park and questioned for several hours over alleged visa issues before being released later the same day. Other members of the Indian and Telugu community were also briefly detained in Minneapolis and elsewhere in Minnesota, officials said.
One of those detained was an H-1B visa holder employed at a technology firm in Minnesota. Recounting the incident to a journalist, he said agents arrived at his office shortly after he began work and took him into custody. “They handcuffed me and took me to a detention centre,” he said, adding that he was questioned for nearly four hours about his employment, education and entry into the US. After additional verification of documents, he was released after spending nearly seven hours in custody.
Law enforcement agencies across the US are increasingly coordinating with ICE for immigration checks. Texas’ Denton County sheriff’s office has recently partnered with ICE under a new initiative that allows local deputies to perform certain immigration enforcement duties.
Immigration experts said such operations allow authorities to detain individuals temporarily to verify identity and immigration status. “If documentation is in order and accurately presented, individuals are typically released,” they said, advising immigrants and non-immigrants to keep records updated and avoid violations that could trigger action.
