Batra was taken into custody on March 17, 2026, at Valley International Airport in Texas as she prepared to travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for work related to an immigration court case. She is currently being held at a detention facility in Raymondville, near the U.S.-Mexico border, according to court filings and reports.
Despite her long residence in the United States and her professional role as a certified courtroom interpreter, Batra faces deportation due to a removal order issued in 2000. While she was granted “withholding of removal” at the time—protecting her from being returned to India due to potential persecution—the order itself remains legally active.
Batra has worked for more than 20 years as an interpreter in Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu, assisting individuals navigating the U.S. immigration system. She is also a single mother of four adult children who are U.S. citizens. Her youngest son recently joined the U.S. Army and has filed a parole application on her behalf.
According to a habeas corpus petition filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, her attorneys allege she was held for nearly 24 hours without food or water following her detention. They have also raised concerns about inconsistent access to medical care, noting that Batra underwent surgeries in December 2025 and has since developed a respiratory illness while in custody.
Legal filings argue that her detention is unlawful, citing her long-standing legal status and work authorization tied to the withholding of removal, which attorneys say remains valid for several more years. The court has directed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to respond to the petition by April 21, 2026.
While withholding of removal prevents deportation to a specific country—in this case, India—it does not eliminate the underlying removal order. This leaves open the possibility of deportation to a third country willing to accept the individual, a complex and relatively uncommon legal outcome.
Batra’s case highlights the broader impact of immigration enforcement policies that allow authorities to act on longstanding removal orders, even for individuals with deep community ties and decades of residence in the United States.
