After detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for more than a month, 53-year-old Indian-origin immigration court interpreter Meenu Batra was finally released from custody on April 30, 2026. A federal judge in Brownsville, Texas, mandated her release through a temporary restraining order that day, emphasising that the multi-lingual interpreter who immigrated from India to America decades ago was not afforded procedural protection before the government detention.
As the Texas-based longtime court interpreter walked free after being arrested at Valley International Airport in Harlingen over six weeks ago, her lawyer told US news outlets that her family is trying its best to pursue a green card for her to strengthen her legal presence in the US. Batra first came to the United States about 35 years ago, fleeing violence in India. Although she applied for asylum at the time, she ended up receiving “withholding of removal” status in 2000.
This particular legal status is usually granted to immigrants facing persecution in their home countries. Unlike asylum, withholding doesn’t offer a path to a green card, but it does prohibit the US government from deporting a person to their country of origin where their life would be threatened.
However, that still doesn’t save Batra or those with the aforementioned legal protection from deportation altogether. If deported, the US is obligated to sent them to to a “third country” willing to accept them–something that her family is now fighting against/
Indian-born interpreter released from ICE custody
The 53-year-old woman, who is Texas’ only licensed interpreter for Hindi, Punjabi or Urdu, has lived in the state’s Cameron County since 2002, according to the Texas Observer. Having worked as a court interpreter for more than 20 years, Batra had plans to meet her adult US-born children in Austin, Texas, after a work trip to Milwaukee in mid-March.
However, she failed to make it to either destination, as ICE agents detained her at a South Texas airport on March 17. Upon her long-awaited release in late April, her attorney, Deepak Ahluwalia, told CBS News, “We are overjoyed. It’s been a long six to seven weeks. We knew that this moment would come. We were hoping it wouldn’t take as long.”
As quoted by the Texas Observer, US District Court Judge Roland Olvera, who ordered her release, said in formal writing, “She was afforded no procedural protection before the government detained her, increasing the risk of an erroneous deprivation of her liberty.”
“Such risks are particularly important where, as here, Petitioner was arrested and detained for no discernable reason, with no identified change in circumstance bearing on the likelihood of removal, and with no country identified that she could even be sent to despite the [immigration judge]’s order withholding her removal to India.”
The judge has also forbidden the government from detaining her again unless Batra is provided with a notice of the reasons for detention and a chance to response.
Batra’s side argued earlier that the people who arrested her neither had visible badges nor were they wearing uniforms. One of the agents involved in the arrest asked the interpreter at the time if she knew about her illegal status in the country and that she had a deportation order, according to the Texas Observer. She, in turn, replied that her work authorisation status, which has been applying for consistently after being granted withholding of removal status by a New Jersey immigration judge decades ago, was valid for another four years.
About Meenu Batra’s immigration status in the US
35 years ago, Batra immigrated from India to New Jersey before settling in Texas after her parents were killed because of their Sikh religion. At the time, she was merely a teenager. Speaking to CBS News during her time in detention at ICE’s El Valle Detention Facility in Raymondville, Texas, she explained her “withholding of removal” immigration status, saying, “I am here, and I am legal and will not be removed, so I have nothing to worry about. And I can live and I can work. And that is all I wanted to do.”
In the aftermath of her release from detention, her lawyer told the US outlet that their fight was far from over. “We’ve gotten Meenu out, but now it’s a matter of keeping her here, making sure that all forms of relief that she is eligible for are adjudicated while she’s sitting here and fighting any attempt to send her to a third country that she has no previous relationship or no association with, and we will fight to the end to that,” Ahluwalia told CBS News.
He further revealed that Batra’s family is hoping to request to expedite her green card application through her youngest son, Jasper, who is serves in the US Army.
The habeus petition filed earlier to challenge her detention as unlawful also asserts that for more than 25 years after Batra was granted application for withholding of removal to India, the US government did not jail her or place her on an Order of Supervision. Moreover, neither was she hit with reporting requirements nor was she warned that she could detained later.
“During this time, federal agencies repeatedly accepted or granted Petitioner’s employment-authorisation document (EAD) filings tied to her eligibility premised upon her withholding of removal grant,” the filing added. “She lived openly under her true name, worked openly, filed tax returns, and maintained a residence in South Texas.”
Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, immigration, or tax advice. Immigration laws and government policies are subject to frequent change without notice. While we strive to provide accurate updates, readers are strongly advised to verify the latest requirements with the official embassy, consulate, or government portal of the respective country. Financial Express is not responsible for any decisions made based on this information. For personalized guidance, please consult a qualified immigration attorney or a certified professional advisor.