Mother Of 4 Citizens, Including A US Army Son, Arrested By ICE

India-West News Desk

BROWNSVILLE, TX – Meenu Batra, a veteran court interpreter who has lived and worked legally in the United States for decades, is now in federal immigration custody after being detained at a South Texas airport while traveling for a job.

Batra, 53, has spent more than 20 years working as a certified court interpreter in Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu. According to CBS News and Texas Observer, she is believed to be the only licensed legal interpreter in Texas for those languages, with courts across the country relying on her expertise.

Her detention has drawn national attention not only because of her professional role, but also her personal circumstances. Batra is a single mother of four adult U.S. citizens, including a son who recently enlisted in the military. “It doesn’t feel right being in here without her,” her daughter Amrita told CBS News.

Batra was detained on March 17 at Valley International Airport while en route to Milwaukee for work. She told CBS News that officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement informed her she was in the country unlawfully.

In a sworn declaration cited by the Texas Observer, Batra who is being held at the El Valle Detention Facility said the officers who approached her were in plain clothes and did not display visible identification. She said she was handcuffed after passing through airport security and escorted out of the terminal. When she presented documents related to her immigration status, one officer allegedly told her, “That doesn’t mean you can be here forever.”

Batra was born in India and came to the US after her parents were killed during anti-Sikh violence in the 1980s. She later sought protection in the U.S., and in 2000, an immigration judge granted her withholding of removal. That status allows individuals to live and work in the country if returning home would put them at risk. Although her withholding of removal status prevents the U.S. from deporting her to India due to the risk of persecution, it does not cancel her removal order. So it does not prevent ICE from deporting her to a third country.

Her attorney, Deepak Ahluwalia, said Batra has consistently renewed her work authorization and has no meaningful criminal history. “This is someone who maybe had one speeding ticket in the last 30 years and [is] being treated like a notorious criminal,” he told the Texas Observer.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security told CBS News and the Texas Observer that Batra has been subject to a final order of removal since 2000 and will remain in custody pending further proceedings. The agency emphasized that having work authorization does not equate to legal immigration status.

Batra’s legal team has filed a habeas corpus petition challenging her detention, arguing that her due process rights were violated. They are also seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent her transfer to another facility. DHS has until April 21 to respond.

The petition also says that Batra was held for 24 hours without food or water following her arrest. She later developed a respiratory illness in detention which has raised concerns about access to medical care after undergoing surgery in December.