Immigrant lawyer of Indian-American descent, Trisha Chatterjee, ordered to address Taco Bell instead of Immigration and Customs Enforcement
In Cincinnati and Dayton, immigration lawyer Trisha Chatterjee is currently working tirelessly on cases where her clients have immigration proceedings pending before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services or the court. One of her clients is a group of eight detainees held at Butler County Jail.
Recently, an incident involving Chatterjee's misdirected call has brought attention to potential communication gaps and bureaucratic challenges faced by immigrants and their advocates. The specific date of the incident is unspecified, but it is known that Chatterjee initially contacted the ICE office in Detroit, seeking a more efficient or accessible option for submitting the paperwork due to the urgency of her clients' situations.
However, instead of connecting with the ICE office, Chatterjee was connected to a Taco Bell in Columbus. After several days of silence, Chatterjee spoke to an ICE agent who promised to connect her with someone who could help. Chatterjee reported the incident to ICE, hoping it was an honest mistake and would be corrected quickly.
Notably, ICE Assistant Secretary Dept. of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin issued a public statement on the incident, claiming that they never gave Chatterjee a fast-food number. This statement, however, does not address the initial misdirection of Chatterjee's call.
It is important to note that the US green card crisis is deepening as of July 18, 2025, and it is costing leadership roles. This fact is from a separate context and not directly related to the incident involving Chatterjee.
In the case of Chatterjee's clients, the stay requests must be submitted in person at the regional office, which for Ohio cases is in Detroit. ICE eventually reached out to Chatterjee from their Blue Ash office and is now assisting with the filings.
Despite the ongoing incident, Chatterjee continues her advocacy work, striving to ensure her clients receive a fair and timely resolution to their immigration proceedings.
- The misdirection of Trisha Chatterjee's call, involving communication gaps and bureaucratic challenges, is a topic that falls under the genre of general-news and crime-and-justice, as it raises concerns about the efficiency and accessibility of immigration processes.
- The ongoing incident involving Trisha Chatterjee, where she was misdirected to a Taco Bell instead of the ICE office, is an example of politics at a more local level, as it highlights the challenges faced by immigrants and their advocates in dealing with bureaucracy, particularly within the realm of immigration proceedings.
