A longtime Texas court interpreter who is being held in federal custody after being detained by federal immigration officials said her arrest and detention was a “degrading” experience.
Meenu Batra, who has lived in the United States for about 35 years, received a “withholding of deportation” order and was unable to be deported to her native India due to fear of persecution. She spoke to ABC News at the El Valle Detention Facility in Raymondville, Texas, after she was arrested by authorities at nearby Valley International Airport on March 17 while on a business trip to Milwaukee.
Batra, a 53-year-old single mother of four adult U.S. citizens, has worked as a certified court interpreter for more than 20 years, and her language skills in Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu have brought her through the Harlingen airport frequently, her attorney Deepak Ahluwalia said.
Wife of active-duty U.S. Army sergeant faces deportation to third country
According to Batra’s affidavit, she was questioned at a TSA checkpoint and an ICE officer stopped her and asked, “Do you know you’re in the country illegally?” She replied, “No.” She said she told the officer she had been granted a stay of departure and had valid work authorization, to which the officer responded, “That doesn’t mean you can stay here forever.”
She said she was then handcuffed and taken into an unmarked white SUV. Batra said at least four police officers were involved in her arrest; two got into the car and the other two left.
Batra told ABC News that she was taken to the ICE office in Harlingen, which she recognized as where she had gone to renew her work authorization. She said police then asked her to pose for a photo “for social media” with two officers on either side of her, leaving her feeling “humiliated and treated like a criminal”.
Batra’s 18-year-old son, Jasper Jai Dolezal, said he was “shocked” when he heard the news of his mother’s detention and said he had expedited his enlistment process so he could apply for an in-place military parole application, which provides military members, veterans and enlisted family members with permission to temporarily remain in the United States while they seek permanent legal status.
By Amrita Singh – Photo: Meenu Batra is shown in this undated file photo.
“I want to see her at graduation and when I go to boot camp. But if I’m serving my military, working like a dog while my mom is in detention, even though my country has sworn they will help all immigrants, it’s a little disturbing and disappointing,” Dolezal told ABC News.
Batra described her arrest as “a sinking feeling” and said her detention felt like “the longest month of her life”.
Batra was born in India and fled to the United States as a teenager after her parents were killed in a state pogrom against Sikhs in the 1980s, according to her lawyers. She applied for asylum upon arrival. In 2000, an immigration judge in New Jersey granted her a stay of deportation, which is granted to individuals who can prove they are likely to face persecution if removed from their home country.
According to the American Immigration Council and the National Immigration Justice Center, a person who receives withholding of deportation “will be protected from removal to their home country and have the right to remain in the United States and work lawfully,” but the person “cannot apply to bring family members to the United States and cannot obtain citizenship.”
In response to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, lawyers and immigrant rights groups have filed numerous lawsuits challenging the practice of sending some immigrants, including some on DACA, to so-called “third countries” — countries other than their own that are willing to accept them.
Batra’s lawyers said they now fear she may be sent to another country.
Google Maps Street View – Photo: El Valle Detention Facility in Raymondville, Texas.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said in a statement, “On March 17, ICE arrested Meenu Batra, an illegal immigrant from India, during a targeted enforcement operation. Meenu Batra was issued a final deportation order by an immigration judge in 2000. The date and location of her last illegal entry into the country are unknown. She will remain in ICE custody pending deportation and will be subject to full due process. The employment authorization does not give her any type of legal status in the United States.”
“All detainees receive three meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers and toiletries, and access to telephones to communicate with family and attorneys,” the statement said. “Providing comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody is a long-standing practice. This includes available medical, dental and mental health services, as well as medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care. This is the best health care many aliens have received in their lives.”
The Justice Department has filed a motion to dismiss Batra’s habeas corpus petition, saying Batra has been “lawfully detained” and subject to a “final order of removal.” Lawyers in the filing did not mention whether the government intended to deport Batra to a third country.
“The judge approved the detention, which means that deportation, if any, will be delayed,” Ahluwalia said. “The delay was because the judge legally ruled that the government could not return her to her home country because she was likely to be persecuted.”
Ahluwalia added that the government “has not acknowledged or explained what changed over 26 years to warrant detention” and “still has not identified a third country to which Batra may be sent”.
Appeals court halts contempt inquiry into deportation of Venezuelan to El Salvador prison
A federal judge in Massachusetts ruled in February that the Trump administration’s policy of deporting people to third countries with which they had no prior contact was unlawful and that immigrants must receive “meaningful notice” and an opportunity to oppose deportation.
The Trump administration appealed the order in March, and the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals barred the ruling from taking effect while the court reviewed the decision.
According to Batra’s habeas corpus petition, “In the past twenty-five years, ICE has never attempted to deport Ms. Batra, requested her assistance in obtaining travel documents, or informed her that it was actively seeking her deportation to India or any other country. She has never been required to report to ICE on a regular basis; when she visited ICE offices, including in Harlingen, it was only for administrative matters related to her work authorization.”
In a telephone interview from the detention center, Batra described the facility as a “storage facility for humans,” which she had to share with about a hundred other women. She said some detainees had attempted suicide.
Batra claimed she went without food or water for “nearly 24 hours” and did not receive cholesterol medication until “the evening of March 19.” Batra’s 30-year-old daughter Amrita Singh told ABC News that her mother developed a respiratory illness soon after being held at the facility due to unsanitary conditions.
“When you talk to your kids, you try to be strong for them…the way the treatment is here, you’re reminded every minute that your situation can always get worse,” Batra said.
In an interview with ABC News, Singer said her mother was the family’s “North Star.”
Government fires two immigration judges who ruled not to deport Palestinian rights advocates
“When you’re raised by a single parent, your biggest fear is always, what if something happens to them? This was my biggest fear coming true,” Singer said.
“I felt like I wasn’t in my body and my world stopped and lost its color,” she added. “But at the same time, I’m very focused and dedicated and will do whatever it takes to get her out.”
Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, criticized Batra’s detention, writing on
In a letter provided to ABC News by Batra’s family, the Texas Association of Judicial Interpreters and Translators (TAJIT) said they urged the court to “review her case with the utmost care and impartiality.”
“As members of TAJIT, we understand that due process rights in multilingual societies require court interpreters to deliver the impartial administration of justice,” the statement read in part. “This would not be possible without the talent and dedication of professionals, especially those like Ms. Batra who provide court interpretation services in rare languages. Ms. Batra has always upheld these principles with professionalism, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to ethical practice.”
ABC News’ Armando Garcia contributed to this report.
