A longtime Texas court interpreter and mother of four who was detained by federal immigration authorities in March has been released from custody after a federal judge ruled that her due process rights had been violated, according to statements made to CBS News by her attorney.
Meenu Batra, a certified court interpreter originally from India, was released on Thursday (April 30) after spending nearly seven weeks in detention following her arrest by federal immigration officers at Valley International Airport in Harlingen, Texas.
“We are overjoyed. It’s been a long six to seven weeks,” Batra’s attorney, Deepak Ahluwalia, told the news outlet.
“We knew that this moment would come. We were hoping it wouldn’t take as long,” he added.
According to Ahluwalia, a federal district judge ordered Batra’s immediate release after determining that her due process rights were violated during the arrest process.
Ahluwalia told the outlet that the judge found Batra had been detained without prior notice, an interview or a formal legal process.
Arrested during work trip
Batra was arrested on March 17 while preparing to travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for a work assignment.
She had worked for more than two decades as a certified court interpreter and was reportedly sought after nationwide for her fluency in Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu.
Batra’s attorney said the legal battle is continuing despite her release.
“The fight is not over,” Ahluwalia told CBS News.
“We’ve gotten Meenu out, but now it’s a matter of keeping her here, making sure that all forms of relief that she is eligible for are adjudicated while she’s sitting here and fighting any attempt to send her to a third country that she has no previous relationship or no association with, and we will fight to the end to that,” he said.
According to Ahluwalia, Batra cannot be rearrested unless immigration authorities provide formal notice and conduct an interview in the presence of legal counsel.
Long immigration history
Batra was born in India and fled to the United States roughly 35 years ago after her parents were killed because of their Sikh faith.
She later applied for asylum in the US.
In 2000, Batra was granted “withholding of removal,” an immigration protection that prevents deportation to a country where an individual may face persecution, though it differs from formal asylum status.
Earlier this month, Batra reportedly spoke to the outlet from the El Valle Detention Facility in Raymondville, Texas, where she described her understanding of her immigration status.
“I am here, and I am legal and will not be removed, so I have nothing to worry about. And I can live and I can work. And that is all I wanted to do,” Batra told the outlet.
Family seeking permanent residency pathway
Ahluwalia said Batra’s legal team is now working to secure permanent residency for her through her youngest son, Jasper, who serves in the US Army.
The attorney told CBS News they plan to request expedited processing of her green card application and hope it could be approved within four to six months.
Batra’s four adult children — Amrita, Lucas, Aaryan and Jasper — are all US citizens.
