Texas immigration court interpreter detained by ICE says ‘they want to make me disappear’
Key Takeaways
- It has been reported that Meenu Batra, Texas’s only licensed Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu court interpreter, was detained by ICE after more than 35 years in the U.S. and is now being held in a detention facility.
- Batra allegedly experienced harsh treatment in custody, including being photographed in restraints, denied medication and held without food or water for a period, according to her declaration and counsel.
- She was granted withholding of removal in 2000 — a protection that ordinarily bars return to a country where the person would likely face persecution — and her lawyer says the government has not explained why she was detained or where she might be sent.
- The case raises questions about transparency in ICE detentions, the vulnerability of people with humanitarian protections, and the impact on immigrant access to court interpretation services.
What happened
It has been reported that Meenu Batra, a 53-year-old who has lived in south Texas since 1991 and is the state’s only licensed Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu court interpreter, was stopped at Harlingen international airport by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on 17 March while travelling for work. She had, it has been reported, been granted withholding of removal in 2000 after an immigration judge found she was likely to face persecution in India; yet she was taken into custody, transferred to the El Valle detention facility in Raymondville, and remains detained. Batra has said she has been “treated like a criminal” and worried she could be deported to a country she has never lived in; these are her allegations as reported.
Detention claims and legal response
Batra has alleged in a sworn declaration — and her attorney has filed a habeas corpus petition — that she was initially detained without food or water for 24 hours, denied cholesterol medication for several days, made to pose for photographs that suggested she was still handcuffed, and that officers told her the images were “for social media.” Her lawyer, Deepak Ahluwalia, has said the government has not informed him or his client why she was detained or where she might be sent. It has been reported that ICE has not provided a public explanation; these details are based on her account and the filings made by counsel.
Legal context and what this means for immigrants
Withholding of removal is a form of protection related to asylum law: it prevents the U.S. government from returning an individual to a country where it is more likely than not they would face persecution on specified grounds (such as religion or nationality). Unlike asylum, withholding does not provide a path to permanent residence, and it can be more limited in relief. Because Batra was granted withholding for India, her lawyer says the government could only remove her to India if it formally reopens and alters her immigration case; his concern — and what it has been reported — is that authorities may instead consider sending her to a third country where she has no ties. That possibility, if pursued, would raise complex legal questions and put someone with longstanding humanitarian protection at immediate risk.
For immigrants and representatives, the case highlights two immediate impacts: the operational harm when a court-certified interpreter is removed from service — potentially undermining fair hearings — and the precariousness of detention even for people with long-established protection orders. Anyone in removal proceedings or with a similar status should seek counsel promptly, track case records for any motions to reopen, and expect limited transparency from detention authorities unless attorneys secure court interventions.
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