The United States has intensified immigration checks, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) increasing searches and detentions across the country.
During a week-long enforcement drive in Minnesota, Texas and California, several people were taken into custody, including many Indian nationals and Telugu-speaking persons.
According to media reports, the operation included checks at workplaces and public places, where individuals were questioned about their immigration status.
In Minnesota, the action is said to be one of the largest enforcement drives in recent times.
In one incident, two Indian students from the Telugu community were taken into custody at a store in St Louis Park and questioned for several hours over alleged visa issues. They were later released after verification.
Several other members of the Indian and Telugu communities were also briefly detained in Minneapolis and other parts of Minnesota. One of them was an H-1B visa holder working at a technology company.
Speaking to media, he said that soon after he reached his office and logged in, two agents arrived and took him away without any prior notice.
He was handcuffed and taken to a detention centre, where he was questioned for nearly four hours about his job, education and how he came to the United States.
He said officials were already checking his documents. After the questioning, he was asked to wait while the details were cross-verified. After waiting for another three hours, he was informed that he was free to leave.
The two Telugu-speaking students detained elsewhere in the state were also released on the same day after their documents were checked and found to be in order.
Across the US, local police departments and county sheriff offices are increasingly working with ICE for immigration enforcement.
In 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 say that during such operations, officials may detain individuals temporarily to verify identity and visa status. If all documents are valid and properly submitted, the person is usually released.
They have advised immigrants and non-immigrants to avoid any illegal activities and keep their documents updated and readily available to prevent unnecessary trouble.