‘Criminal illegal alien’: US detains Indian-origin man on pending charges of sexual assault of minor

The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement stated on Tuesday that it has detained an Indian-origin man in connection with pending criminal charges, including the alleged sexual assault of a minor, in New Jersey.

In a social media post, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement identified the man as Vodela Yashaswi Kottapalli and described him as a “criminal illegal alien from India”.

The charges against Kottpalli are “sexual assault of a child under 13, shoplifting and public disorder”, the US agency said.

“We will keep him in custody pending removal proceedings,” it added.

The detention came amid a broader immigration crackdown under US President Donald Trump, during his second term that began in January 2025.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been implementing the Trump administration’s large-scale deportation programme, which was a major poll promise of his campaign ahead of the elections.

The agency was set up under the 2002 Homeland Security Act following the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York. The legislation created the Department of Homeland Security, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement as one of its subsidiary agencies.

In his second term, Trump has expanded the agency’s mandate and increased its budget and operation scope. It enforces deferral immigration laws, investigates violations related to undocumented immigration and conducts removal proceedings.

More than 3,800 Indian nationals were deported from the United...

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