Indian-Origin Court Interpreter Released From ICE Custody After Federal Judge Questions Detention Legality
Meenu Batra, a 53-year-old Indian-origin court interpreter who has lived in the US for about 35 years, was released from ICE custody on April 30 after a federal judge questioned the legality of her detention. She was held since March 17 without proper procedural protections. Batra, the only licensed Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu interpreter in Texas, was arrested at Valley International Airport while traveling for a work assignment. Authorities maintain she had a final deportation order issued in 2000, though her legal team argued she had "withholding of removal" protection.