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.

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.