Meenu Batra, an Indian American court interpreter who has lived in the U.S. for 35 years has been detained by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Texas. She was arrested after passing through security at Harlingen International Airport.
In a sworn deposition that was filed as part of a petition for habeas corpus—a legal request to be released on the grounds that the detention is unlawful—Batra said the people who arrested her did not have visible badges nor were they wearing uniforms.
Batra was reportedly asked if she knew she was in the country illegally and that she had a deportation order. She replied that her work authorization status, which she applied for regularly after being granted a legal status called withholding of removal by a New Jersey immigration judge decades ago, was good for another four years. The agents responded to her saying “that doesn’t mean you can be here forever.”
Batra’s attorneys have said the agents were targeting her. “This is someone who maybe had one speeding ticket in the last 30 years and [is] being treated like a notorious criminal,” Deepak Ahluwalia, a California and Texas-based immigration attorney representing Batra, told the Texas Observer.
READ: US ICE airport arrests spark protests amid immigration crackdown (April 7, 2026)
Meenu Batra has been a court interpreter for 20 years. She is the only one in Texas licensed for interpreting Hindi, Urdu, or Punjabi. Her language skills have been in demand nationwide, and she is often contracted to help people making their way through the immigration court system, just as she did for herself 35 years ago when she immigrated from India to New Jersey before settling in Texas.
Batra’s petition alleges she was held for nearly 24 hours without food or water and has since faced inconsistent access to medical care following surgeries in December 2025. Her lawyers said she has also contracted a respiratory illness in custody.
Batra’s attorneys have argued that the action targets a long-time resident with a clean record and circumvents established legal protections. They have also cited support letters from community members, judges and local officials. Her son, who had recently enlisted in the U.S. army, has filed a parole application on her behalf, which could allow her to remain in the country on renewable one-year terms, her lawyers said.
READ: Senate Republicans propose to end DHS shutdown as Trump remains unconvinced (March 25, 2026)
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told the Texas Observer that Batra had “a final order of removal from an immigration judge in 2000” and said “She will remain in ICE custody pending removal and will receive full due process.” “Employment authorization does NOT confer any type of legal status in the United States,” the spokesperson added, also saying that the department is encouraging all “illegal aliens” to “self-deport.”
This comes amid the Trump administration’s increasingly aggressive stance on immigration. Nationwide, Texas is leading in habeas petitions from people detained by ICE. Most federal judges are reportedly siding with detained people, ordering them to be released or to receive a bond hearing before an immigration judge.
“I am grateful also, because something bad has to happen in life for you to truly appreciate what you have,” Batra said. “But I am getting this experience, and I’m watching the other women and just realizing how much help they need. At least I have awareness. I know my rights.” According to court filings, DHS has until April 21 to respond to Batra’s habeas petition.