Muhammad Zahid Chaudhry, a disabled U.S. Army veteran from Pakistan who has lived in the United States since 2000, was detained by ICE on August 21, 2025, when he arrived for a citizenship interview in Tukwila, Washington. Chaudhry served in the Washington Army National Guard from 2001 to 2005 and was honorably discharged due to a back injury sustained during training; the injury left him using a wheelchair and experiencing severe pain. He has been living in Lacey with his wife Melissa and their two children, and has dedicated his post-military life to activism, serving on former Governor Jay Inslee's Committee on Disability Issues and Employment and as president of Veterans for Peace Olympia. Federal officials say Chaudhry failed to initially disclose fraud convictions from Australia in 1996 related to using documents that were not his to open a bank account and obtain benefits; Chaudhry's wife states he was coerced into pleading guilty and was told there would be no criminal record, and that the convictions carried a lenient sentence. An immigration judge denied his bond on August 29, 2025, and his family and advocates have alleged he experienced serious medical issues due to lack of treatment while detained at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma. On December 22, 2025, U.S. District Chief Judge David G. Estudillo ruled Chaudhry's detention unlawful and ordered his immediate release, finding that immigration officials failed to follow required procedures by not notifying him prior to his arrest; the judge ruled he may not be re-detained without written notice and an opportunity to respond, while his removal case continues in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.