Author: Christian Balderas
Published: 6:21 PM PDT August 24, 2025
Melissa Chaudhry took her husband to an immigration interview with hopes he'd be granted citizenship. His complicated immigration history may be standing in his way.
TACOMA, Wash. — Outside the Northwest ICE Processing Center, under sweltering heat, Melissa Chaudhry stood alongside her father—a retired veteran— while carrying her two young children, as she called for her husband's release.
“I wish I could say good afternoon, but it is not a good afternoon,” Melissa said to a crowd of supporters. “Something profound has happened.”
On Thursday, her husband, Muhammad Zahid Chaudhry—known to many as Zahid—was taken into ICE custody during a citizenship interview.
Zahid, originally from Pakistan, has lived in the United States for nearly 25 years. He served in the Washington Army National Guard but was medically discharged after sustaining a back injury that left him reliant on a wheelchair, according to Melissa.
“He thought he’d come out a U.S. citizen just a few minutes later,” she said. “I was far less confident, which is why I was up the entire night before preparing for this eventuality.”
Zahid has been pursuing citizenship for years, facing a long and complicated journey.
In 2009, Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray sent a letter to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) urging resolution of his case. It said in-part, "His volunteer work with the American Red Cross and the Yakima Police Department, along with his service in the United States Army, has enabled him to make meaningful contributions to both his state and the country he now calls home."
His immigration history, however, is complex.
According to a court document, Zahid pleaded guilty in 1996 to using a false passport and credit card while living in Australia. He entered the U.S. four years later to join his uncle and soon married a woman who helped him apply for permanent residency. At the time, he falsely claimed he had no prior arrests.
In 2001, Zahid was granted permanent residency and was authorized to work in the U.S. He soon enlisted in the Washington National Guard and applied for a reserve position with the Yakima Police Department—again omitting his criminal history.
In 2003, USCIS issued a notice of intent to rescind his residency status for failing to disclose his Australian fraud charges. However, the agency ultimately dropped the case, mistakenly believing Zahid was serving overseas.
Melissa says none of that should matter.
In a statement she wrote, “The immigration judge in March 2018 who reauthorized Zahid’s permanent residence, gave him waivers for any issues pertaining prior to that date. He cannot be deported on those bases… we should not have to relitigate the court of public opinion…” KING 5 could not independently verify this claim, but it's supported by a 2018 article from LiberationNews.org, a publication from the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
A court document shows he applied for naturalization in 2013, but a federal judge denied the request. He has an appeal before the 9th Circuit.
Melissa said she was recently notified that a judgment was imminent—one she believed would be favorable. That same day, Zahid was summoned for the citizenship interview where he was later detained.
“This makes us think it was no coincidence,” she said. “It was planned.”
ICE has not returned a request for comment.
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https://www.kuow.org/stories/wife-of-wa-vet-outraged-after-husband-arrested-by-ice-at-citizenship-interview
Wife of WA vet arrested by ICE at citizenship interview speaks out
Gustavo Sagrero Álvarez
August 22, 2025 / 5:55 pm
Muhammed Zahid Chaudhry surrounded by friends, family, and supporters before he went into his citizenship hearing on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2025.
Courtesy of Melissa Chaudhry
A Washington National Guard veteran was arrested Thursday during his final citizenship interview at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services building in Tukwila. He is now being held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma.
As of Friday afternoon officials with ICE had not explained to Muhammed Zahid Chaudhry's family why he was detained. ICE has not responded to KUOW’s requests for comment.
Chaudhry's wife Melissa said her husband had spent the past two decades trying to get U.S. citizenship. The last time she saw him was when she pushed his wheelchair into a windowless room for his appointment on Thursday.
“This is a microcosm,” she said. “This is a little, teeny, tiny individual situation that is a reflection of what is at stake for us as a nation.”
RELATED: Secrecy and enforced disappearances: WA human rights group sounds alarm about ICE
Melissa Chaudhry spoke to KUOW over the phone while she was nursing the couple's 8-month-old baby. She had words of encouragement for anyone who goes through a similar ordeal.
Sponsored
“I hope that you decide to do more than you ever thought possible, that you decide to do what you would do if the soul of your soul was taken from you with no warning and no mercy and no explanation,” she said.
Courtesy of Melissa Chaudhry
The U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Service enacted new policies this week that increase the level of scrutiny people face as they try to navigate the citizenship and naturalization process. The new policies include increased scrutiny of anything officials deem “anti-American.”
Muhammed Chaudhry served in the military as a mental health specialist. His wife said after the Sept. 11 attacks, he was approached to work in intelligence for the military, and he refused. She said Chaudhry was told he would not be getting his citizenship anytime soon as a result.
“Intelligence work was to throw somebody under the bus, give them a name, and he said, ‘No.’ He said he didn't want the money, he didn't want the job. He was not going to ruin someone's life like that, an innocent person,” she said. “That violated his moral code, and he wouldn't do it.”
Chaudhry continued to serve in the military until he was medically retired in 2005.
The Chaundrys and their family and friends suspect he has been put on a USCIS government list called the Controlled Application Review and Resolution Program or CARRP.
The list reportedly targets people from Muslim-majority countries, people who speak other languages, and have advanced degrees, all based on frequently vague associations with people on a separate U.S. terrorism watchlist.
People who are targeted by CARRP face a delayed naturalization process under what’s called "extreme vetting,” sometimes becoming undocumented and eligible for deportation.
The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington ruled earlier this year that the federal government’s use of the program was “arbitrary and capricious,” and violated federal laws.
In its announcement this week, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service enacted new policies to increase scrutiny of people with legal status who support what officials consider anti-Semitic views, or who are supportive of terrorist organizations.
In her campaign to unseat U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, a Democrat from Washington, Melissa Chaudhry was critical of what she considers the ethnic cleansing and genocide happening in the Gaza Strip, and what she characterized as Smith’s lack of action. Muhammed Chaudhry has also been vocal about his opposition to Israel's actions in Gaza as a member of a Washington Chapter of Veterans for Peace.
In their announcement this week, USCIS officials said they are also taking a closer look at instances of applications the federal government considers fraudulent, or misrepresented.
RELATED: Rep. Jayapal talks rescissions, protecting U.S. citizens from ICE, and the Epstein files
According to The Olympian, in 2013 ICE officials wanted Muhammed Chaudhry removed for misrepresenting two incidents to officials. In one incident, he was convicted in Australia of using an Australian’s passport to open a bank account and get medical benefits. An Australian man had given him that passport to keep until the Australian man could pay Muhammed back for an unpaid taxi fare.
The other incident alleges that Chaudhry misrepresented his citizenship when he applied to become a reserve officer for the Yakima Police Department.
Chaudhry told The Olympian in 2013 he doesn’t remember misrepresenting his citizenship to Yakima Police. He also said he wasn’t clear about the incident in Australia, to which he pleaded guilty. Other than these two instances, his wife said he has a clean record.
Despite attempts to remove him from the country, ICE records show Chaudhry was allowed to continue moving forward in his immigration case in 2018.
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Wife of WA vet arrested by ICE at citizenship interview speaks out
Gustavo Sagrero Álvarez
August 22, 2025 / 5:55 pm
Muhammed Zahid Chaudhry surrounded by friends, family, and supporters before he went into his citizenship hearing on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2025.
Courtesy of Melissa Chaudhry
A Washington National Guard veteran was arrested Thursday during his final citizenship interview at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services building in Tukwila. He is now being held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma.
As of Friday afternoon officials with ICE had not explained to Muhammed Zahid Chaudhry's family why he was detained. ICE has not responded to KUOW’s requests for comment.
Chaudhry's wife Melissa said her husband had spent the past two decades trying to get U.S. citizenship. The last time she saw him was when she pushed his wheelchair into a windowless room for his appointment on Thursday.
“This is a microcosm,” she said. “This is a little, teeny, tiny individual situation that is a reflection of what is at stake for us as a nation.”
RELATED: Secrecy and enforced disappearances: WA human rights group sounds alarm about ICE
Melissa Chaudhry spoke to KUOW over the phone while she was nursing the couple's 8-month-old baby. She had words of encouragement for anyone who goes through a similar ordeal.
Sponsored
“I hope that you decide to do more than you ever thought possible, that you decide to do what you would do if the soul of your soul was taken from you with no warning and no mercy and no explanation,” she said.
Courtesy of Melissa Chaudhry
The U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Service enacted new policies this week that increase the level of scrutiny people face as they try to navigate the citizenship and naturalization process. The new policies include increased scrutiny of anything officials deem “anti-American.”
Muhammed Chaudhry served in the military as a mental health specialist. His wife said after the Sept. 11 attacks, he was approached to work in intelligence for the military, and he refused. She said Chaudhry was told he would not be getting his citizenship anytime soon as a result.
“Intelligence work was to throw somebody under the bus, give them a name, and he said, ‘No.’ He said he didn't want the money, he didn't want the job. He was not going to ruin someone's life like that, an innocent person,” she said. “That violated his moral code, and he wouldn't do it.”
Chaudhry continued to serve in the military until he was medically retired in 2005.
The Chaundrys and their family and friends suspect he has been put on a USCIS government list called the Controlled Application Review and Resolution Program or CARRP.
The list reportedly targets people from Muslim-majority countries, people who speak other languages, and have advanced degrees, all based on frequently vague associations with people on a separate U.S. terrorism watchlist.
People who are targeted by CARRP face a delayed naturalization process under what’s called "extreme vetting,” sometimes becoming undocumented and eligible for deportation.
The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington ruled earlier this year that the federal government’s use of the program was “arbitrary and capricious,” and violated federal laws.
In its announcement this week, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service enacted new policies to increase scrutiny of people with legal status who support what officials consider anti-Semitic views, or who are supportive of terrorist organizations.
In her campaign to unseat U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, a Democrat from Washington, Melissa Chaudhry was critical of what she considers the ethnic cleansing and genocide happening in the Gaza Strip, and what she characterized as Smith’s lack of action. Muhammed Chaudhry has also been vocal about his opposition to Israel's actions in Gaza as a member of a Washington Chapter of Veterans for Peace.
In their announcement this week, USCIS officials said they are also taking a closer look at instances of applications the federal government considers fraudulent, or misrepresented.
RELATED: Rep. Jayapal talks rescissions, protecting U.S. citizens from ICE, and the Epstein files
According to The Olympian, in 2013 ICE officials wanted Muhammed Chaudhry removed for misrepresenting two incidents to officials. In one incident, he was convicted in Australia of using an Australian’s passport to open a bank account and get medical benefits. An Australian man had given him that passport to keep until the Australian man could pay Muhammed back for an unpaid taxi fare.
The other incident alleges that Chaudhry misrepresented his citizenship when he applied to become a reserve officer for the Yakima Police Department.
Chaudhry told The Olympian in 2013 he doesn’t remember misrepresenting his citizenship to Yakima Police. He also said he wasn’t clear about the incident in Australia, to which he pleaded guilty. Other than these two instances, his wife said he has a clean record.
Despite attempts to remove him from the country, ICE records show Chaudhry was allowed to continue moving forward in his immigration case in 2018.
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