Interpreter Detained by DHS for Six Weeks After 25 Years in U.S.

Meenu Batra worked for years as a certified courtroom interpreter for Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu in Texas immigration courts. On March 17 she was detained at Valley International Airport in Harlingen, Texas, while traveling to interpret at a trial in Milwaukee.

Batra entered the United States in 1991 and received a final order of removal in 2000. The same day she was granted withholding of removal to India, a status that has not been revoked. She lived in the country for the next 25 years without further contact with immigration authorities.

DHS stated that Batra was arrested during a targeted enforcement operation and described her as an illegal alien. She was held at the El Valle Detention Center in Raymondville, Texas, for 45 days. Her attorney, Deepak Ahluwalia, filed a habeas corpus petition on March 26.

On April 30, federal judge Rolando Olvera issued a temporary restraining order directing DHS to release Batra and to provide notice and an opportunity to respond before any future detention.

Batra came to the United States after her parents were killed in anti-Sikh violence in India. She began working as an interpreter near the Texas-Mexico border and later interpreted in district and state courts. While detained, she assisted other individuals in understanding their legal rights. She has no criminal record, according to her attorney.