ICE Arrests US Army Veteran, Husband of Former Congressional Candidate

A Pakistan-born US army veteran, and husband of a former Washington congressional candidate, was taken into ICE detention during a citizenship interview on Thursday at the United States Citizen and Immigration Services office in Tukwila, Washington, according to the local chapter of CAIR, a national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization.

Public records show he is currently in ICE custody at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma.

Muhammad Zahid Chaudhry, or “Zahid” to those who know him, is originally from Pakistan. He is married to Melissa Chaudhry, a US citizen who ran against Washington Congressman (D-9) Adam Smith last year (The Stranger endorsed Chaudhry in that race). They have two children together.

Melissa tells The Stranger that their family and friends spent last night preparing for this possibility—getting documents in order and contacting immigration advocates. Zahid and Melissa went to the Tukwila facility, joined by his ex-wife and their best friend. They asked to join Zahid for his naturalization interview, but immigration officials at the facility denied the request. After several hours, Melissa says, officials told her that she would be getting a call from Zahid from the detention facility. She never got to see him after he entered the interview room. 

Melissa says Zahid was allowed to talk to her on the phone for several minutes, but was rushed off the phone for processing. She does not know how to contact him again.

“Our family is fortunate,” she says. “We have people like you to call. We have political networks we can activate. We have capabilities, resources. We have white privilege. Most families who suffer this don’t, and I feel that in my bones. We have an eight month old and a two year old, and I don’t know when they’re going to see their Baba again. None of us do.”

Zahid has lived in the US for 25 years and is a member of the Olympia chapter of Veterans for Peace. Zahid came to the country legally and served in the US military, but has faced the threat of deportation to Pakistan for years. 

According to The Olympian, the government accused him of lying on visa documents.

One incident stems from a criminal conviction that took place in Australia in 1996, when Chaudhry was a taxi driver. An Australian citizen didn’t have money for his fare and left his passport as a pledge to return with cash. Chaudhry allegedly used it to try to open a bank account and obtain medical benefits, according to court records. Australian police also determined that Chaudhry had used a credit card that wasn’t his.”
Chaudhry did not acknowledge that conviction in a 2001 visa application, according to court records. The other incident dates to an application Chaudhry filed to become a reserve officer at the Yakima Police Department. He allegedly misrepresented his citizenship, according to court records.

Zahid told The Olympian he didn’t understand what was happening when he pleaded guilty to fraud charges in Australia, and didn’t remember misrepresenting his citizenship in Yakima. 

He sued for his right to remain in the country on the basis of his marriage to an American citizen and his military service qualifying him for expedited naturalization. He sustained disabling injuries in 2003 while training to go to Iraq. He uses a wheelchair and was discharged from the military for medical reasons in 2005. According to Keep Zahid Home, a website dedicated to his fight for citizenship, he won his case in immigration court in 2018. The government appealed the case. In 2019, the USCIS denied the “Earned, Qualified, Expedited Military N-400 application” he submitted in 2013, “despite the fact that he passed the English and government/Civics portion with flying colors.” US Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell wrote a joint letter endorsing his citizenship, as did other federal, state, and local elected officials.

Hannah Vickner Hough, Legal Director at CAIR-WA, said in a statement that it was unusual for people to “be taken into custody at a citizenship interview.” 

“However, we have seen that under this administration, Muslims are being targeted for unusually harsh immigration enforcement,” she said. “Whatever the circumstances of an individual’s immigration process, the government needs to provide the due process protections when an individual is working their way through the immigration system.” 

Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck posted on Bluesky that her office has been in contact with the family and is working with Rep. Adam Smith, Sen. Cantwell, and Sen. Murray’s offices “to bring Mr. Chaudhry home.” Rep. Smith’s office confirmed that is has reached out to the Chaudhry family “to offer assistance.”

Stranger Editor-in-Chief Hannah Murphy Winter contributed reporting. This is a developing story.