ICE: One Veteran Returns, Another Detained

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https://southseattleemerald.org/news/2025/09/16/one-veteran-returns-another-detained-zahid-chaudhrys-future-remains-uncertain

One Veteran Returns, Another Detained: Zahid Chaudhry's Future Remains Uncertain

As one military veteran rebuilds his life after deportation, another — Zahid Chaudhry — remains in immigration detention with few options left to remain in the U.S.

Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero
Published on:
Sep 15, 2025, 6:02 pm

The future of a U.S. veteran detained at the Northwest ICE Processing Center remains uncertain, but his case is not unique. Many veterans have been deported, but very few have been able to return.

Muhammad Zahid Chaudhry (commonly referred to as Zahid) is a community leader on disability and veteran issues and has limited options to remain in the U.S. after being detained and denied bond by an immigration judge. Family members worry for his safety if deported.

Robert Vivar, codirector of Tijuana-based Unified U.S. Deported Veterans Resource Center since 2017, said a majority of people aren't aware that "somebody willing to die for this country could be deported."

To enlist in the military, a person must have legal residence, and they are told they can gain expedited citizenship through their military service, but it can be a challenging process. In many cases, it isn't until a veteran faces legal charges that they learn about the possibility of being deported, Vivar said.

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It's unclear how many veterans have been deported because Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has not been following policies requiring them to review military service before deportation. ICE also doesn't track how many veterans are ultimately deported, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office in 2019.

The Deported Veterans Resource Center has helped more than 65 deported veterans access legal resources, medical care, job searching, and VA benefits, such as their pension, but other organizations claim to know of hundreds of deported veterans internationally.

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[underpants]

1. Horrendous