'Treated like criminal': Indian-origin woman living in US for 35 years held by ICE, alleges 24 hours without food

A 53-year-old Indian-origin woman, identified as Meenu Batra, has alleged mistreatment during her detention by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Texas, where she has been held since March 17.

Batra, a court interpreter, was taken into custody at Harlingen International Airport while travelling to Milwaukee for work. She is currently lodged at the El Valle Detention Centre in Raymondville.

In a habeas corpus petition, she has claimed that she was denied food and water for 24 hours after her arrest and was not given essential medication for several days.

According to her sworn deposition, Batra was stopped by plainclothes agents after clearing airport security. She alleged that the officers did not show identification while questioning her immigration status.

When informed about a deportation order, she responded that she had valid work authorisation under “withholding of removal,” granted in 2000.

“That doesn’t mean you can be here forever,” she recalled an agent telling her.

Batra further alleged that officers forced her to pose for photographs while her hands were positioned behind her back to simulate handcuffs. She claimed the images were intended “for social media,” an act she described as degrading.

“This made me feel humiliated and treated like a criminal,” she said.

Days into her detention, Batra reportedly developed a respiratory infection and temporarily lost her voice. Reflecting on her situation, she said, “It feels bizarre. I don’t know how else to put it. Here I am just staring at the wall wondering what exactly I’m doing here but also what is anybody doing here.”

Batra has lived in the United States for over 35 years after fleeing anti-Sikh violence in India in the 1980s, during which her parents were killed. She is reportedly the only licensed court interpreter in Texas fluent in Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu, and has worked in immigration courts for more than two decades.

Meenu Batra with her children in early 2005.

Her legal status allows her to remain in the US under “withholding of removal,” though it does not provide a pathway to permanent residency. Authorities can deport her to a third country, but her lawyer, Deepak Ahluwalia, said no destination has been disclosed.

A single mother of four, Batra’s detention has deeply affected her family. One of her sons, who recently joined the US Army, has sought parole on her behalf.

“I've done a lot for my country... All I ask for my country to do for me is get my mom back,” he told CBS News.

Responding to the case, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Batra has had “a final order of removal from an immigration judge in 2000” and would remain in custody pending deportation.

“She will remain in ICE custody pending removal and will receive full due process,” the spokesperson said, adding, “Employment authorisation does NOT confer any type of legal status in the United States.”

Batra’s legal team has challenged her detention, arguing it violates due process. A federal court is expected to hear her petition, with the government required to respond by April 21.