Texas immigration court interpreter Meenu Batra has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), raising concerns about due process and immigration enforcement practices.
“They want to make me disappear,” Batra told The Guardian from detention, claiming she was being treated “like a criminal” despite her long-standing legal status in the United States.
Meenu Batra, a 53-year-old interpreter and longtime US resident, was detained in March at an airport in Texas while on her way to work, according to media reports. Originally from India, Batra has lived in the United States for more than three decades and is the only licensed interpreter in Texas for Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu in immigration courts.
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Her detention drew attention because of her role in the immigration system itself, where she assisted in legal proceedings for non-English-speaking migrants, often with those with valid work authorization and long-term legal protection.
Batra had been granted “detention of removal,” a form of humanitarian protection that prevents deportation to a country where an individual may face persecution, and had a valid work permit at the time of her arrest. Legal experts say the case raises questions about enforcement action against individuals with such protections.
According to her legal team, she was taken into custody on March 17 at the airport in Harlingen, Texas, and has been held in a detention facility since then with no clear explanation about the status of her case or future proceedings.
Her lawyer has argued that the detention may be related to wider enforcement trends and has raised concerns that she could be deported to a third country under existing arrangements, although no official confirmation has been provided.
Detaining the interpreter attracts attention
The case has also raised concerns about detention conditions.
Reports indicate that Batra faced limited access to medical care and lack of communication about her legal situation while in custody.
Her detention affected her family, including her four children. One of her children reportedly applied for a parole program available to families of US military members, further complicating the case.
According to The Guardian, advocates say the incident underscores broader problems within the US immigration system, including a lack of transparency, prolonged detention and limited access to legal redress.
However, the Department of Homeland Security has not publicly commented on the case.
The detentions also come amid a broader pattern of immigration enforcement actions under current U.S. policy, which has seen an increase in arrests at transit points such as airports, according to previous reports.
Batra’s case is likely to be scrutinized further in the coming days, particularly given her role in the immigration court system and the uncertainty surrounding the reasons for her detention.
