‘Only Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu…’: Democrats condemn Indian-American Meenu Batra after 35 years in US detention

A US lawmaker has criticized the detention of Indian-origin court interpreter Meenu Batra, who is being held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) despite living in the US for about 35 years and working in the legal system.Meenu Batra, 53, is described as the only licensed court interpreter in Texas in Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu. She spent decades in the United States raising her children and working within the immigration court system, helping South Asian immigrants navigate their legal proceedings.Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro weighed in on her case on She spent most of her life in Texas, working and raising her children. Despite humanitarian protections, ICE detained her. Trump’s mass deportations are not a worst-case scenario. It targets contributing members of our community and breaking up families.“British journalist Mehdi Hassan also retweeted the post. Batra was detained on March 17 while on a business trip at Harlingen International Airport in Texas. She was on her way to Wisconsin on a court-related assignment when ICE agents stopped her after she went through security.She told the Texas Observer that the agents were not wearing uniforms or distinctive insignia. An officer allegedly questioned her identity, asking if she knew she had a deportation order and if she was in the country illegally.“I read enough news that I complied with their orders,” Batra said, explaining that she chose not to resist during the arrest.Her legal team said an immigration judge had granted her a stay of deportation decades ago and regularly renewed her work authorization. However, officials reportedly told her, “This doesn’t mean you can stay here forever.”After being taken into custody, she was taken to an ICE facility in Texas and detained. She was moved to various detention centers and held without food and water for approximately 24 hours. She also became ill while in custody and received limited medical care following recent surgery.Batra’s lawyers argued that she should not have been detained without proper notice and said she was legally in the United States and was protected. They have filed a habeas corpus petition challenging her detention and seeking her release.The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said she had been issued a final deportation order in 2000 and would remain in custody pending deportation. Officials also clarified that a work permit does not equate to legal immigration status.