Indian Woman Detained by ICE After 35 Years in the US

A Disturbing Arrest

Imagine dedicating 35 years of your life to a country, only to be unexpectedly detained while heading to work on an ordinary Tuesday. Meenu Batra, an Indian national residing in the United States since 1991, was apprehended by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Harlingen International Airport. In a public display, ICE agents placed her in handcuffs and transported her to the El Valle detention facility in Raymondville, as reported by a media outlet.

Batra, who serves as a court interpreter in Texas, recounted her distressing experience after connecting with the media. She expressed feeling like a criminal and fears being deported to a country she has never known. As the only licensed Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu interpreter in her state, she has provided assistance to many individuals in immigration court.

Having fled from violent pogroms against Sikhs in Punjab, Batra arrived in the US in 1991 and was granted a 'withholding of removal' status by an immigration judge in 2000. Now, at 53 years old, she finds herself treated as a criminal without understanding the reasons behind her detention. '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,' she stated.

For the past month, Batra has been confined in the detention center, waking up in a 'windowless warehouse block.' She described her initial hours in detention as particularly harrowing, having been denied food and water for 24 hours. Additionally, she faced delays in receiving her cholesterol medication.

On the day of her arrest, March 17, while en route to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, an officer questioned her about her immigration status before taking her away in an unmarked vehicle. The officers even made her pose for a photo with her hands behind her back, which she found humiliating. Despite her situation, Batra has been assisting other women in the facility due to her proficiency in English.

Deepak Ahluwalia, an immigration attorney based in California and Texas, is representing Batra. He expressed concern about the possibility of her being deported to a 'third country.' 'It’s been a month since Meenu was detained, and they still haven’t told her where they want to send her,' he remarked.

The abrupt arrest has thrown Batra’s family into turmoil. She was supposed to meet her eldest daughter’s boyfriend for the first time, but that encounter took place at the detention center instead. Her children are also affected, worrying about their mother’s safety. Batra described her experience as 'dehumanizing' and voiced her fears about the uncertainty of her situation: 'People just disappear. And I know they want to make me disappear. I don’t know where they want to send me.'