Meenu Batra, an interpreter with more than 20 years of experience in immigration courts and a life built over three decades in the United States, was detained by immigration agents at a South Texas airport while heading to work. Her case adds to other arrests of people who have lived and worked in the country for years with official permits.
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The arrest occurred on March 17 at Harlingen airport, after Batra passed security control to take a flight to Milwaukee, where she was scheduled to participate in a case. According to what she told CBS News, the agents told her she was in the country irregularly, to which she responded that she had her documents with her.
For more than 20 years, Batra worked as a certified interpreter in immigration courts, translating proceedings in Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu. According to The Texas Observer, she was the only licensed interpreter in Texas in those languages, which led her to travel across the country to assist people in immigration processes.
Born in India, Batra fled to the United States about 35 years ago after her parents were killed for religious reasons linked to their Sikh identity. She later applied for asylum and, in 2000, a judge granted her the status known as “Suspension of removal,” which allowed her to live and work in the country, although without access to permanent residency. “I’m here, I’m legal and I won’t be deported, so I have nothing to worry about,” she told CBS. “And I can live and work. That’s all I wanted to do.”
However, the Department of Homeland Security claims otherwise. A spokesperson told The Texas Observer that Batra has “a final order of removal issued by an immigration judge in 2000” and stated that “employment authorization does not confer any type of legal status.”
On the other hand, her youngest son, Jasper, recently enlisted in the Army, which adds another dimension to the case. “I thought about serving my country and my people. But I didn’t know that ‘my people’ referred to everyone except my mom. I thought she was included, but I guess not,” he told the American network.
From the El Valle detention center in Raymondville, where she remains held, Batra describes an environment of constant uncertainty. “Every day it’s hard to sleep because when you lie down, you’re afraid not to know where you’ll wake up,” she told the same outlet.
Her version of the arrest also raises doubts about the procedure. In a statement to The Texas Observer, Batra said the agents were not wearing uniforms nor showing visible identification. “After having seen and read enough news, I know that as soon as you say something, they accuse you of resisting arrest or something else,” she explained. “So, taking all that into account, thinking about everything that could happen and embarrassed in front of everyone, I just obeyed.”
Her lawyer, Deepak Ahluwalia, has questioned the treatment received. “This is someone who may have received a speeding ticket in the last 30 years and is treated as if they were a dangerous criminal,” he told the outlet.
Edna Yang, director of American Gateways, an organization defending migrants’ rights, told the same outlet that the detentions “are not focused on criminals, nor on dangerous people, but on people who are part of our community and have a lot to offer.”
While her legal defense progresses — including a habeas corpus petition to challenge her detention — Batra’s future remains uncertain.
