After Weeks in Custody, Indian-Origin Interpreter Finally Freed

In a major relief, Indian-origin court interpreter Meenu Batra, who spent more than six weeks in detention, walked free from the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement on April 30.

Her family said that they were overjoyed. “We knew this moment would come. We were hoping it wouldn’t take as long,” said Deepak Ahluwalia, her lawyer. Her arrest took an emotional toll on her and her family. What Batra went through during detention will take time to heal, her lawyer said.

Her release came after a federal judge ruled that she had not been given proper legal process before being detained. According to reports, the decision on Batra’s release was made by judge Roland Olvera, who said that lack of procedural protection before the government detaining her increased the risk of an erroneous deprivation of her liberty.

Ahluwalia said Batra cannot be taken into custody again unless they follow proper procedures. Batra, 53, challenged the legality of her arrest while in detention. She said the officers who detained her did not wear uniforms or display visible badges. Her lawyer argued that lack of identification raised serious concerns about the lawfulness of the arrest.

Batra came to the US nearly 35 years ago after her parents were killed because of their Sikh faith, when she was a teenager. When she applied for asylum, she was granted “withholding of removal”, meaning she has a right to live and work in the United States but does not have a direct path to becoming a citizen.

She worked as a certified court interpreter for more than 20 years. Her fluency in Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu had made Batra most sought after by clients. She has four children and they are US citizens.

They live in Batra’s home near Brownsville. She is the only licensed interpreter in Texas for those languages, making her skills critical in courts across the country, her attorney said.

Now, Batra’s legal team is focused on securing permanent residency to her and also prevent any attempt to deport her to a third country.