Texas court interpreter Meenu Batra’s ICE detention raises concerns; ‘they want to make me disappear’

A Texas-based immigration court interpreter Meenu Batra has been detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), triggering concerns over due process and immigration enforcement practices.

“They want to make me disappear,” Batra told The Guardian from detention, alleging she was being treated “like a criminal” despite her long-standing legal status in the United States.

Meenu Batra, a 53-year-old interpreter and long-time US resident, was detained in March at an airport in Texas while travelling for work, according to media reports. Batra, originally from India, has lived in the United States for more than three decades and is the only licensed interpreter in Texas for Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu in immigration courts.

Her detention has drawn attention due to her role in the immigration system itself, where she assisted in court proceedings for non-English-speaking migrants, often involving individuals with valid work authorisation and long-standing legal protections.

Batra had been granted “withholding of removal”, a form of humanitarian protection that prevents deportation to a country where an individual may face persecution, and held a valid work permit at the time of her arrest. Legal experts say the case raises questions about enforcement actions against individuals with such protections.

She was taken into custody on 17 March at an airport in Harlingen, Texas, and has since been held at a detention facility without a clear explanation regarding her case status or future proceedings, according to her legal team.

Her lawyer has alleged that the detention may be linked to broader enforcement trends and raised concerns that she could be deported to a third country under existing arrangements, though no official confirmation has been provided.

Reports indicate that Batra has faced limited access to medical care and inadequate communication about her legal situation while in custody.

Her detention has affected her family, including her four children. One of her children had reportedly applied for a parole programme available to families of US military personnel, further complicating the case.

According to The Guardian, advocates say the incident underscores broader issues within the US immigration system, including a lack of transparency, prolonged detention and limited access to legal recourse.

However, the Department of Homeland Security has not publicly commented on the case.

The detention also comes amid a broader pattern of immigration enforcement actions under current US policy, in which arrests at transit points such as airports have increased, according to previous reports.

Batra’s case is likely to draw further scrutiny in the coming days, particularly given her role within the immigration court system and the lack of clarity surrounding the reasons for her detention.