Meenu Batra, a 53-year-old Indian-origin court interpreter who has lived in the United States for 35 years, has been detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Texas, prompting a legal battle over her continued custody.Batra was reportedly arrested by plainclothes ICE agents at Harlingen International Airport on March 17 while travelling to Milwaukee for an immigration court assignment. She is currently being held at a detention centre in Raymondville, Texas.According to her lawyers, Batra had valid work authorisation under a decades-old “withholding of removal” order, which protects individuals from being deported to countries where they may face persecution. However, it does not provide permanent residency or cancel an earlier deportation order.Batra moved to the US as a child in the late 1980s after her parents were killed during the 1984 anti-Sikh violence in India. Over the years, she built a career as a certified interpreter and is said to be Texas’s only licensed court interpreter for Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu.Her legal team has filed a habeas corpus petition in a Texas federal court, arguing that her detention is unlawful and violates due process protections. They are also seeking to prevent her transfer to another facility and have requested her immediate release.The petition alleges that Batra was held for nearly 24 hours without food or water after her arrest and has faced inconsistent medical care while in custody. Her lawyers said she is recovering from recent surgeries and has also developed a respiratory illness.Batra’s son, who recently enlisted in the US military, has submitted a parole application on her behalf that could allow her to remain in the country temporarily.A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said Batra has a final removal order dating back to 2000 and will remain in custody pending further proceedings. The government has until April 21 to respond to the petition.