Texas court interpreter detained by ICE says she's been 'treated like a criminal'
Texas court interpreter detained by ICE says she's been 'treated like a criminal'
JUHI DOSHIWed, April 22, 2026 at 9:22 AM UTC
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Texas court interpreter detained by ICE says she's been 'treated like a criminal'
A longtime Texas court interpreter who is being held in a federal detention facility after being detained by federal immigration officers says her arrest and detention has been a "degrading" experience.
Meenu Batra, who has lived in the U.S. for about 35 years and has a "withholding of removal" order that prevents her from being deported to her home country of India due to fear of persecution, spoke to ABC News from El Valle Detention Facility in Raymondville, Texas, after she was arrested by authorities on March 17 at nearby Valley International Airport while on her way to Milwaukee for a work trip.
Batra, a 53-year-old single mother of four adult U.S. citizens, has been a certified court interpreter for more than 20 years, and her language skills in Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu have led her to frequently travel through Harlingen airport, said her attorney, Deepak Ahluwalia.
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According to Batra's sworn affidavit, she was questioned at the TSA checkpoint, where an ICE officer stopped her and asked, "Do you know that you are here illegally?" to which she responded, "No." She said she told the officer that she has been granted withholding of removal and has a valid work authorization, to which he responded, "That doesn't mean you can be here forever."
She said she was then handcuffed and taken into an unmarked white SUV. Batra states that at least four officers were involved with her arrest; two got into the car and the other two left.
Batra told ABC News that she was taken to an ICE field office in Harlingen that she recognized as where she had previously gone to renew her work authorization. Officers then made her pose for a photo, with two officers on either side of her, for "social media," which made her feel "humiliated and treated like a criminal," she said.
Batra's 18-year-old son, Jasper Jai Dolezal, said he was "shocked" when he heard of his mother's detention, and said he had expedited his military enlistment so he could apply for a military parole-in-place application that grants temporary permission to remain in the U.S. for family members of service members, veterans, and enlistees while they pursue permanent legal status.
Courtesy Amrita Singh - PHOTO: Meenu Batra is shown in this undated file photo.
"I hope to see her for my graduation and when I go to boot camp. But if I'm serving my army, working like a dog while my mom is being detained, even though my country swore they will help any and all immigrants, that's kind of upsetting and disappointing," Dolezal told ABC News.
Batra described her arrest as a "sinking feeling," and said that her detainment has felt like "the longest month of her life."
According to her attorney, Batra was born in India and fled to the U.S. when she was a teenager, after her parents were killed during a state pogrom against Sikhs in the 1980s. She applied for asylum when she arrived. In 2000, an immigration judge in New Jersey granted her withholding of removal status, which is granted to individuals who can prove it is more likely than not that they will face persecution if they are returned to their home country.
According to the American Immigration Council and National Immigrant Justice Center, a person who is granted withholding of removal is "protected from being returned to his or her home country and receives the right to remain in the United States and work legally" -- however that person "cannot petition to bring family members to the United States, and does not gain a path to citizenship."
In response to the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, attorneys and immigrant rights groups have filed numerous lawsuits challenging the removal of some immigrants, including some with withholding of removal, to so-called "third countries" -- countries other than their own that are willing to accept them.
Batra's attorney says they now fear she may be sent to another country.
Google Maps Street View - PHOTO: The El Valle Detention Facility is shown in Raymondville, Texas.
An ICE spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News regarding why Batra was detained and whether the Department of Homeland Security plans to send Batra to a third country.
The Department of Justice has filed a motion to dismiss Batra's habeas corpus petition, arguing that Batra has been "lawfully detained" and subject to a "final order of removal." The attorneys in the filing do not mention if the government intends on deporting Batra to a third country.
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"The judge granted withholding, and so what that means is, even if there is a removal entered, it's deferred," Ahluwalia said. "It's deferred because a judge has ruled legally that the government may not send her back to her home country, because she is more likely than not to get persecuted."
Ahluwalia added that the government "didn't acknowledge or explain what changed in 26 years to warrant detention" and "still has not identified a third country" that Batra may be sent to.
A federal judge in Massachusetts ruled in February that the Trump administration's policy to remove people to third countries to which they have no previous connection is illegal and that migrants must receive "meaningful notice" and the chance to object to their deportations.
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The Trump administration appealed that order in March, and the First Circuit Court of Appeals barred that ruling from going into effect while the court reviewed the decision.
According to Batra's habeas corpus petition, "at no point during the past twenty-five years did ICE attempt to remove Ms. Batra, ask her to help obtain travel documents, or tell her that removal to India or any other country was being actively pursued. She was never required to report to ICE on a regular basis; when she visited ICE offices, including Harlingen, it was only for administrative matters related to work authorization."
In a phone interview from the detention center, Batra described the facility as a "storage facility for humans" that she has to share with roughly a hundred other women. She said that a few detainees have attempted suicide.
Batra has alleged she went "nearly 24 hours without food or water" and did not receive medication for her cholesterol until the "evening of March 19." Amrita Singh, Batra's 30-year-old daughter, told ABC News that her mother developed a respiratory illness soon after being held in the facility due to the unsanitary conditions.
"When you talk to your children, you try to be strong for them ... The way the treatment is here, you're reminded every minute that it can always get worse for you," Batra said.
Singh told ABC News in an interview that her mother is the "north star" of the family.
"When you're raised by a single parent, your biggest fear is always like, what if something happens to them? This was my biggest fear coming true," Singh said.
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"I feel like I'm not in my body and my world just stopped and it sort of lost color," she added. "But at the same time, I am so focused and dedicated and will do anything to get her out."
Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, has criticized Batra's detention, writing on X, "Meenu Batra is the only Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu court interpreter in Texas. She had spent most of her life in Texas, working and raising her kids. ICE detained her despite having humanitarian protection. Trump's mass deportation campaign isn't going after the worst of the worst. It's targeting contributing members of our communities and breaking apart families."
In a letter provided by Batra's family to ABC News, the Texas Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators (TAJIT) said they are urging the courts to "review her case with the utmost care and fairness."
"As members of TAJIT, we understand that due process rights in a multilingual society necessitate court interpreters for the fair administration of justice," the statement reads in part. "This would not be possible without the talent and dedication of professionals, particularly those who, like Ms. Batra, provide court interpreting services in rarer languages. Ms. Batra has consistently upheld these principles with professionalism, integrity, and a deep commitment to ethical practice."
ABC News' Armando Garcia contributed to this report.
Source: “AOL Breaking”
