Courtroom interpreter held by ICE says she worked in U.S. legally for decades
Meenu Batra, a single mother, was detained at a Texas airport in mid-March. She has worked as a courtroom interpreter in the U.S. for more than 20 years.
Brownsville, Texas — In the Batra family home near Brownsville, Texas, siblings Amrita, Lucas, Aaryan and Jasper are making lunch without their mother, 53-year-old Meenu Batra.
"It doesn't feel right being in here without her," Amrita told CBS News.
Meenu Batra, a single mother of four adult U.S. citizens, was arrested March 17 by federal immigration officers at Valley International Airport in Harlingen, Texas, while on her way to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on a work trip.
Batra has been a certified court interpreter for more than 20 years, and her language skills in Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu are requested nationwide.
"They told me you're here illegally," Batra told CBS News of her arrest in an exclusive interview Wednesday from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's El Valle Detention Facility in Raymondville, Texas, located near the U.S.-Mexico border. "And I said, 'No, sir, I have my documents with me, in my bag right now.'"
Batra was born in India. When she was a teenager, her parents were killed because of their Sikh religion. She fled to the U.S. roughly 35 years ago and applied for asylum.