Indian techie with H1-B visa deported and humiliated by ICE? Here is what Infosys said

Infosys has denied that an employee with an H1-B visa on a project in the US was humiliated by ICE and sent back to India. CEO and Managing Director Salil Parekh clarified that none of its employees were detained or deported by the US. A viral post this week claimed that an Indian IT professional from Mysuru, who was employed with Infosys, was stopped by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents when he was on-site in the US for work. According to the post, he was given two hours to pack and decide whether he wanted to be deported or face detention. He chose to return, but did not anticipate the humiliation he would face. The post stated, "Heard a wild wild story today of an Infy employee from Mysuru … given 2 choices.

Either go to jail or get deported." The man chose to return and was escorted by officers to the airport, where he was handed over to the authorities. They were told to make sure he boards the flight to India and that he takes the transit flight to Bengaluru. Additionally, a public announcement was made inside the plane, instructing the crew to keep a close eye on him so that he would not escape.

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The employee was humiliated on the planes

At the Frankfurt airport, he was again accompanied to the flight to Bengaluru, with yet another announcement on board, telling the crew to ensure he remains seated until the plane takes off. The post added that Infosys officials met him at the airport, and he is now receiving counselling for the trauma he experienced. There were no official papers or proof to back the claim. But nevertheless, it garnered widespread interest from Indian techies.

However, Infosys has denied that any such incident happened with any of its staff members in the US. Speaking during Infosys’ third-quarter earnings conference on January 14, he said, "No Infosys employee has been apprehended by any US authority. A few months ago, one of our employees was denied entry into US and was sent back to India." H1-B visas are granted to Indian tech professionals who are sent to the United States by their employers for work. These visa holders can live and work in the US temporarily. However, the US immigration policy under Trump has undergone major changes, making the environment uncertain for such workers.