Indian-Origin Court Interpreter Arrested in US After 35 Years, ICE Action Ignites Legal Debate Indian-Origin Interpreter Arrested After 35 Years in US; ICE Action Sparks Legal Debate F Firstpost • 17-04-2026, 09:37 Indian-Origin Interpreter Arrested After 35 Years in US; ICE Action Sparks Legal Debate • Meenu Batra, a court interpreter for Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu for over 20 years, was detained by ICE agents at Harlingen airport. • Batra, who has lived in the US for 35 years, was arrested despite having a regularly renewed legal status called 'withholding of removal'. • Her attorneys argue that her detention violates due process, as she was never informed of any intent to deport her during decades of legal protection. • Batra, a Sikh, left India after her parents were murdered during anti-Sikh violence in the 1980s and was granted 'withholding of removal' due to persecution fears. • The Department of Homeland Security states Batra had a 'final order of removal from an immigration judge in 2000' and will remain in custody pending removal. Read Full Article on Firstpost in English Key Question Answered Could this case change US immigration enforcement policies? The case of Meenu Batra, an Indian-origin interpreter detained by ICE, has sparked legal debate and comes amid scrutiny over mass deportation crackdowns. ✦ More like this Stories Add Top News Local Similar Stories Indian-American Faces Denaturalization Over $2.5M Fraud, Concealed Criminal Past N News18 10 Indians Face Deportation After US Visa Fraud Crackdown in Boston N News18 Filipino Woman Gets 20 Years RI for Heroin Smuggling in Gujarat N News18 Man Arrested for Forcing Woman into Physical Relations, Friend Detained in Kolhapur N News18 Indian 'Illegal' Attacks Mother, Bites 3-Year-Old Daughter in US Park F Firstpost Man Arrested 25 Years After Wife's Murder in Kerala's Edachery N News18