Punjabi Woman With Son In US Army Held by ICE, Alleges 24 Hours Without Food Or Water

A 53-year-old Punjabi-origin woman who has lived in the United States for more than three decades was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), triggering outrage over her treatment and fears of deportation. Meenu Batra, a longtime Texas resident and certified courtroom interpreter, was taken into custody on March 17 at Valley International Airport in Texas while travelling to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for an immigration court assignment. She is currently being held at the El Valle Detention Center in Raymondville, near the US-Mexico border.

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Meenu Batra’s youngest son recently joined the US Army and has filed a humanitarian

parole request on her behalf. She is also the single mother of four adult children, all US citizens. According to a habeas corpus petition filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Meenu Batra was held for nearly 24 hours without food or water after her detention. Her attorneys also allege she has received inconsistent medical care despite undergoing surgeries in December 2025. They say she later developed a respiratory illness in custody and temporarily lost her voice.

Meenu Batra, who speaks Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu, has spent years helping immigrants navigate the American legal system. She worked with US immigration courts for more than 20 years and built a professional language services career in Texas. Her immigration troubles stem from a removal order issued in 2000. At the same time, an immigration judge granted her “withholding of removal” status, which barred the US government from deporting her to India because she could face persecution there. Unlike asylum, however, that status does not erase the deportation order or provide a path to permanent residency.

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Meenu Batra reportedly came to the US in the 1980s. Since 2002, she has lived in Laguna Heights, Texas, where she continued working as a licensed interpreter and became a member of the American Translators Association. Her lawyers argue that detaining a long-settled resident with valid work authorization and no criminal history is unlawful. They have asked the court to order her immediate release.

The US District Court has directed the Department of Homeland Security to respond to the petition by April 21.