NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Los Angeles, CA, August 15, 2026: Indian-born jazz guitarist, composer and educator Pritesh Walia has been released on bond after spending 14 days in immigration detention, he announced in an emotional video posted on Instagram.
“I’m home,” Walia wrote in the caption accompanying the video, in which he described the two weeks in detention as the hardest days of his life.
“Today I was granted bond, and I’m finally home,” Walia said. “Walking out and hugging my family again is a moment I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
Walia had been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the night of August 2 after returning to Los Angeles, according to an earlier statement posted on his Instagram account by a woman identified as Liza, who said she was managing the account on his behalf.
That August 9 statement said Walia was subsequently transferred to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California. His personal belongings, including his phone, had been taken upon detention, and his family and attorneys were working to secure his release.
In his latest video, Walia spoke candidly about the emotional toll of his time in custody.
“The last 14 days have been the hardest days of my life,” he said, describing moments when he felt “scared, hopeless, and completely broken.”
He said being separated from the people he loved and watching his family suffer because of his situation was something he “wouldn’t wish on anyone.”
Walia thanked the judge who granted him bond as well as his attorney, whom he identified as Stacy, his girlfriend and his family for supporting him throughout his detention.
He reserved a significant portion of his message for the jazz and wider music community, saying musicians, students, friends, colleagues and even people he had never met had rallied around him.
“You showed up for me,” Walia said. “You shared my story, you reached out to my family, you checked in, you sent messages, you prayed, you offered help.”
Walia said learning while in detention that hundreds of messages were waiting for him gave him something to hold onto at moments when he was losing hope.
“When you’re sitting in a detention facility, the world feels very small, and it’s very easy to lose hope,” he said.
The support, he added, reminded him that “kindness is still real” and that music is about more than performances.
Immigration Case Is Not Over
Walia made clear that his release on bond does not mean his immigration case has been resolved.
“This isn’t the end of my immigration journey, and there’s still a road ahead,” he said. “I have a lot of fighting to do.”
Details of that continuing immigration case remain unclear. Neither Walia’s latest statement nor the earlier August 9 post explained the legal basis on which ICE initially detained him.
Detention Came Amid Major Musical Project
Walia, who grew up outside New Delhi, began playing guitar at 16 and later moved to the United States to study music. He attended Musicians Institute in Los Angeles before earning degrees from Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory.
His detention came just days after the July 31 release date of Journey to Nowhere, his large-ensemble collaboration with the Henry Godfrey Jazz Orchestra.
Walia had also been scheduled to perform an album-release concert with the Henry Godfrey Big Band at Los Angeles jazz venue Sam First on August 6, four days after he was taken into ICE custody.
News of his detention prompted an outpouring of concern within the jazz community. A Reddit discussion about his case drew hundreds of reactions, and a person identifying herself as Walia’s cousin in Mumbai thanked supporters and asked them to pray for his safety and release.
Now back home, Walia said he plans to withdraw from public life briefly while recovering from the experience.
“Taking a few days to heal, breathe, and be with my loved ones,” he wrote in the caption accompanying his video.
He also reassured his followers that he intends to return to music.
“I’ll be back making music soon. Don’t worry,” Walia said. “And when I do, I promise I’ll never forget what this community did for me.”
For now, Walia said simply, “I’m home.”
