A longtime Texas court interpreter, Meenu Batra, is being held in federal detention despite having a valid work authorization and a withholding of removal order protecting her from deportation. Her case raises concerns about the treatment of immigrants with protected status and the legality of deporting them to third countries.
Meenu Batra, a longtime Texas court interpreter with decades of valid work authorization, is currently detained in a federal facility. Batra, who has resided in the U.S. for approximately 35 years, possesses a ' withholding of removal ' order protecting her from deportation to India due to a well-founded fear of persecution.
She was arrested on March 17th at Valley International Airport while traveling to Milwaukee for a work assignment. The 53-year-old single mother of four U.S. citizen adults has served as a certified court interpreter for over 20 years, utilizing her fluency in Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu. Her attorney, Deepak Ahluwalia, reports that she frequently travels through Harlingen airport.
According to Batra’s sworn affidavit, she was confronted by an ICE officer at the TSA checkpoint who questioned her legal status, despite her presenting valid documentation. She informed the officer about her withholding of removal and work authorization, but was told this did not guarantee permanent residency. She was subsequently handcuffed and transported in an unmarked vehicle. Batra alleges that at least four officers were involved in her arrest.
Upon arrival at an ICE field office, she was subjected to a humiliating experience – being photographed for what she was told was 'social media.
' Her son, Jasper Jai Dolezal, expressed shock and has accelerated his military enlistment to pursue a military parole-in-place application, hoping to secure his mother’s temporary permission to remain in the U.S. He voiced disappointment that his service to the country might coincide with his mother’s unjust detention. Batra describes her detainment as profoundly distressing and emotionally draining.
Batra’s history reveals she fled India as a teenager following the tragic deaths of her parents during a state pogrom against Sikhs in the 1980s. She sought asylum upon arrival in the U.S., and in 2000, an immigration judge granted her withholding of removal. This status legally permits her to remain in the U.S. and work, but prevents her from sponsoring family members for immigration and does not offer a path to citizenship.
Recent legal challenges have targeted the practice of deporting immigrants, even those with withholding of removal, to third countries. ICE has not provided a comment regarding Batra’s detention or potential deportation to a third country. The Department of Justice is attempting to dismiss Batra’s habeas corpus petition, claiming her detention is lawful under a 'final order of removal.
' However, her attorney argues that the withholding of removal order should prevent deportation, and the government has failed to explain the basis for her detention after 26 years or identify a potential third country for her relocation. A recent federal court ruling deemed the Trump administration’s policy of deporting individuals to third countries without prior connection illegal, emphasizing the need for proper notice and opportunity for objection
Immigration Deportation Withholding Of Removal ICE Texas Court Interpreter
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