Disabled Veteran Released from ICE Custody by Federal Judge

(TACOMA, WASHINGTON) A federal judge ordered immigration officials to release Zahid Chaudhry, a decorated and disabled U.S. Army veteran and lawful permanent resident, from ICE custody at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, on December 23, 2025, after months of detention that his family said should never have happened to someone who served the country.

Chaudhry walked out of the detention center on Tuesday and was met by his wife and other relatives, according to video of the reunion described in reports. In the footage, family members embrace him and speak through tears about the strain of the long separation. One relative called the detention

“something that would never happen to any decorated, disabled American veteran,”

a line that quickly spread among advocates for immigrants who have served in the military.

Court order and timing

The order came from Pierce County court, where Chaudhry’s lawyers sought relief from what they argued was unnecessary confinement for a green card holder with documented military service and disabilities. Available reports did not identify the judge by name, but described the ruling as a federal order directing ICE to release him.

The decision cleared the way for Chaudhry to return home days before Christmas, a timing his family said mattered because they had been bracing for another holiday without him.

Case context: immigration and military service

Chaudhry’s case sits at the hard intersection of immigration enforcement and the military service of non‑citizens who enlist, deploy, and then try to build stable lives in the United States 🇺🇸.

• A “green card holder” is a lawful permanent resident, meaning the person can live and work in the country long term but can still face removal proceedings in some cases.
• When ICE detains a permanent resident, the person may be held in a local jail or a federal detention facility like the Northwest Detention Center while immigration court hearings or related legal challenges move forward.

In Chaudhry’s situation, the fact that he is both decorated and disabled fueled public anger about why he remained locked up for months. Reports said his family had pushed for his release since his initial detention, arguing that his service record and health conditions should have weighed heavily in how the government handled his case.

His attorney, who was not named in the reports, also pointed to what they described as the rarity of the government actively fighting continued detention in cases involving veterans, suggesting that Chaudhry’s custody battle was far from routine.

Unclear detention details and next steps

ICE did not immediately provide details in the reports about:

• why Chaudhry was detained,
• what immigration charges he faced, or
• what conditions of release—if any—were set after the judge’s order.

That lack of clarity is common for families when a case moves quickly in court, and it can leave people unsure about next steps, including whether a person must report to ICE or attend immigration hearings. Families often seek updates through the ICE Online Detainee Locator System or their lawyers.

Concerns raised by advocates

Advocates say cases like Chaudhry’s show how easy it is for immigrant veterans to fall through gaps in the system, especially when service‑related injuries, trauma, or disabilities complicate their ability to respond to paperwork deadlines or court dates.

Key points advocates emphasize:

• Veteran status does not automatically stop immigration detention.
• Immigration law treats military service as a factor a judge may consider rather than a blanket shield.
• Detaining a disabled veteran for months raises basic fairness and medical care concerns, particularly when the person has strong community ties.

Some attorneys say the government should set clearer rules on when detention is truly needed and when release with supervision can work. Others say immigration enforcement must apply evenly and that service records cannot erase grounds for removal set by Congress.

Family impact and the reunion

For Chaudhry’s relatives, the legal argument was not abstract. They had been watching months go by with him inside the Northwest Detention Center while they pressed officials and the courts to let him come home.

In the days before the judge’s order, family members feared he would remain detained through the end of the year—a period when detention facilities can run on reduced schedules and legal visits are harder to arrange. When he finally stepped out, the reunion video showed the kind of relief that is hard to stage: people reaching for him at once, repeating his name, and trying to make sure he was really free.

Legal mechanism and wider implications

Immigration lawyers say releases ordered by federal judges can come through a legal tool known as habeas corpus, a court process that lets someone challenge unlawful detention. The reports on Chaudhry’s case did not spell out the exact filings, deadlines, or hearing dates, and they did not name the attorney who argued for his release.

Still, the outcome—an order to free a long‑detained permanent resident who is also a disabled veteran—will likely be cited by other lawyers pressing courts to take a closer look at detention decisions when health and military service are in the record.

Local and national context

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the Chaudhry case also lands at a moment when many immigrant families in the United States 🇺🇸 are paying close attention to detention practices, especially in facilities that hold people for long stretches.

The Northwest Detention Center has become a focal point in that conversation in the Pacific Northwest, in part because its location makes it the default site for many detained immigrants across the region, pulling people far from their home communities.

Remaining uncertainty

Chaudhry’s release does not end the uncertainty that follows many people after they leave detention, including:

• questions about future court dates,
• the risk of being taken back into custody if a case changes, and
• ongoing legal and medical needs.

But for now, his family says the judge’s order gave them back time they feared was lost, and it let a disabled veteran spend Christmas at home instead of behind the walls of a detention center in Tacoma, Washington, with his family beside him.

Quick case summary

If you want, I can convert this into a one‑page fact sheet, a press‑ready summary, or prepare a short timeline of the legal events described.