A US lawmaker criticized the detention of Indian-origin court interpreter Meenu Batra, who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) despite living in the United States and working in the legal system for nearly 35 years.Meenu Batra, 53, has been described as the only licensed Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu court interpreter in Texas. She has spent decades in the US, raising her own children and working within the immigration court system to help South Asian immigrants deal with legal proceedings.Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro also condemned Trump’s mass deportation initiative, emphasizing his case on X: “Meenu Batra is the only Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu court interpreter in Texas. She spent most of her life working and raising her children in Texas. Despite having humanitarian protection, ICE detained him. Trump’s mass deportation campaign is not going after the worst-case scenario. It is targeting contributing members of our communities and breaking families.“British journalist Mehdi Hasan also re-shared the post. Batra was detained at Harlingen International Airport in Texas on March 17 while traveling for work. She was traveling to Wisconsin for court-related work when she was stopped by ICE agents after passing through security.She told the Texas Observer that the agents were not in uniform and were not displaying visible badges. An officer reportedly questioned her status and asked if she knew she had a deportation order and whether she was in the country illegally.“I read a lot of news and hence I followed their orders,” Batra said, adding that he decided not to protest during the arrest.His legal team said he was granted a “stay of removal” by an immigration judge decades ago, with work authorization routinely renewed. However, officials reportedly told her, “This doesn’t mean you can stay here forever.”After being taken into custody, he was transported to ICE facilities in Texas, where he remained detained. He was moved between detention centers and kept without food or water for almost 24 hours. He also contracted an illness during his detention and is receiving limited medical care following recent surgery.Batra’s lawyers argue that she should not have been detained without proper notice and say that she has been living in the US under legally protected status. They have filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention and demanding his release.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said she had a final deportation order issued in 2000 and would remain in custody until removed. Officials also clarified that work authorization is not equivalent to legal immigration status.