Pakistani, a veteran, denied citizenship

A former Yakima police reserve officer and Pakistani immigrant learned this week that a federal judge has denied his request for citizenship.

Muhammad Zahid Chaudhry had sued the government last year under a provision that allows legal residents to seek citizenship because of their prior military service.

But Judge Lonny Suko ruled last week that the government had presented enough evidence – including claims that Chaudhry used fraudulent visas and lied about theft convictions in Australia – to win dismissal of the case without a trial.

“This decision is a complete and utter shock not only to us but the community and American public as a whole,” Chaudhry’s wife, Ann, said in an e-mail response to the Yakima Herald-Republic on Friday.

Chaudhry now faces a January deportation hearing in front of a Seattle immigration judge.

Besides his time as a reserve officer, Chaudhry served five years in the Washington Army National Guard. Stateside training injuries left him permanently disabled, and he must use a wheelchair.

In support of his bid for citizenship, he received numerous letters from community members, lawmakers and a former immigration official, citing his history of community service.

Chaudhry has the right to appeal Suko’s ruling to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, but it was not immediately clear whether he would do so.