Was an Infosys employee deported from United States by Ice? – Firstpost

Was an Indian Infosys employee deported from the United States?

A user on the social media website X has claimed that an Infosys employee was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Icez) agents and deported to India. The user has claimed that the employee was given the choice of going home or going to jail. The employee was noted to have been given just two hours to pack his belongings.

The incident comes at a time when several immigrants, including Indians, are being deported from the United States. Ice is currently following through on the Trump administration’s mass deportation initiative, a central promise of Donald Trump’s electoral campaign. Trump has significantly expanded Ice’s budget, size and mandate after assuming office for a second term.

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But what do we know about this story? What is the company saying?

Let’s take a closer look:

‘Wild story’

Chetan Anantharamu, an X user, claimed in a post published on Tuesday (January 13) that an Infosys employee from Mysuru in the United States for work was picked up by Ice agents and detained.

According to the post, the employee was given two choices: going to jail or being deported. The employee was given two hours to pack his belongings and leave the country. The employee was also allegedly escorted by Ice agents to the airport to ensure that he boarded the flight to India via Frankfurt.

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According to the post, the employee faced public humiliation during the journey, with on-board announcements reportedly warning the crew to prevent him from “escaping” after touchdown in Frankfurt.

Heard a wild wild story tdy of an Infy employee from Mysuru who was on-site for a project in US.
Was picked up by ICE agents, given 2 hours to pack up from his home, given 2 choices.
Either go to jail or get deported.
Once that chap chose to return back to India, was escorted by…

— Chetan Anantharamu (@gandabherunda) January 13, 2026

It was also alleged that on the connecting flight to Bengaluru, announcements warned that he should remain in his seat until take-off.

Anantharamu claimed that Infosys legal representatives were present at Bengaluru airport to receive the employee and escort him home. “The employee is reportedly in a state of severe distress and is undergoing counselling, while the company is said to be exploring legal options against Ice officials.”

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Firstpost could not independently verify the claims.

Infosys CEO quashes claims

However, Infosys CEO Salil Parekh has squashed such claims. Parekh has reported that none of the firm’s employees were apprehended or deported by Ice.

Parekh, speaking during a Q3 earnings conference, noted the claims circulating online were incorrect.

He reported, “No Infosys employee has been apprehended by any US authority. A few months ago, one of our employees was denied entry into the US and was sent back to India.”

Indian IT companies are struggling with stricter US H-1B visa rules, including a $100,000 fee (around Rs 90 lakh) for new applications, social media screening and unpredictable processing times, all of which have disrupted cross-border service delivery.

Ice deporting immigrants

Ice is now at the forefront of the Trump administration’s mass deportation push, one of Trump’s core campaign promises. After beginning his second term, he significantly increased the agency’s funding, workforce and powers.

Ice agents have the power to stop, detain and arrest people they suspect of being in the US illegally. However, they require a signed judicial warrant to enter a home or other private space. Agents can detain US citizens under specific circumstances, including interfering with enforcement actions, assaulting an officer, or when there is suspicion of illegal presence, reported Business Today (BT).

According to BT, in select situations, IcE will detain and transfer the person to a larger detention facility anywhere in the US or abroad. It can also take days for families and/or lawyers to find out where an individual is if he/she is detained by the agency.

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The Trump administration, however, has selected agents from several federal law enforcement agencies to participate in immigration enforcement.

The Trump administration had previously deported a 73-year-old Sikh woman, Harjit Kaur, to India. Her lawyer, Deepak Ahluwalia, revealed in an Instagram post that she was placed on a chartered flight without any prior notice, given no chance to say goodbye, and subjected to harsh conditions during the journey.

In November, a 19-year-old student, Any Lucia Lopez Belloza, was deported to Honduras. Now, the US federal judge has urged the Trump administration to issue a student visa and bring back Lopez. Kilmar Abrego Garcia was also among the many who were deported by Ice. He was ‘mistakenly’ deported to El Salvador and sent to a high-security prison meant for gang members and terrorists.

With inputs from agencies

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