An Indian-origin jazz musician was arrested by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement for allegedly overstaying his visa on August 2.
He released a video announcing that he has finally been released after being detained for 14 days and said that his time there “changed me forever”.
After he was released, he posted a video detailing the ordeals of his detention. And it’s very easy to lose hope, and I lost hope all the time. Grateful beyond words for my family, my girlfriend, my lawyer, and every single person who stood by me. The love from the jazz and music community restored my faith in humanity YOU gave me hope. Taking a few days to heal, breathe, and be with my loved ones. Thank you,” he wrote on Instagram. “When you are sitting in a detention facility, the world feels very small. But hearing that so many people had come together, that people were fighting for me, that there were hundreds of messages waiting for me, it gave me something to hold onto.
“14 days that changed me forever.
He said that he felt “scared, hopeless, and completely broken”. He said that he was granted bond, after which he went home and thanked the judge, his lawyer, his girlfriend, his family and members of the music community for supporting him during the detention. It reminded me that kindness is still real and alive,” Walia said in the video.
In a statement that his girlfriend posted on his behalf, Pritesh Walia said that he was “unexpectedly” detained after he returned to Los Angeles on August 2 and was taken into custody before being transferred to the Adelanto ICE Processing Centre.
