A disabled U.S. veteran was reunited with his family on Monday after spending four months in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention in Washington state. Green-card holder Muhammad Zahid Chaudhry, originally from Pakistan, had been held at the Tacoma Processing Center since he went for a citizenship interview in August. On Monday, U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo ordered his release and barred ICE from detaining him again until his case is fully heard in court."I am a patriotic American solider. I thought that it would never happen, that this kind of erroneous thing, that four months, two days in this kind of detention, would never happen, should never happen to any disabled decorated American veteran," Chaudry told KCPQ in Tacoma outside the detention center.Newsweek reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for comment via email on Tuesday morning.Why It MattersChaudry’s case highlights two issues that have come up repeatedly during the second Trump administration as it detains a record number of immigrants: whether immigrant U.S. veterans should be detained and deported, and court battles over allegedly wrongful detentions.DHS has repeatedly said it is seeking to arrest and remove the “worst of the worst,” referring to serious and violent criminals, but ICE data frequently shows that the majority of detainees do not have criminal convictions....What To KnowLiving in the U.S. since 2000, Chaudry served in the U.S. Army before suffering an injury that affected his back and neck, leaving him wheelchair bound. During his stay in ICE detention, the family claimed that he received poor or little medical care.Chaudry was greeted by his wife outside the ICE detention facility in Tacoma on Monday. She had fought for his release since agents detained him following a citizenship interview on August 21.Agents detained Chaudry over allegations that he had lied on his original visa application, omitting five counts of financial deception, possession of stolen goods and falsifying passports in cases in Australia. He mentioned the charges on his citizenship application and his wife, Melissa Chaudry, argued the charges carried lenient sentences in that country.In September, DHS said he had been denied U.S. citizenship multiple times, starting in 2008. The department pointed to cases in 2010 and 2012 in which judges denied his application for naturalization, and it doubted his need for a wheelchair or cane. In 2020, the Board of Immigration Appeals ruled he could not remain in the U.S.During hearings on the case, U.S. attorneys were asked if Chaudry should have been given notice that he was to be detained. In his ruling, Estudillo wrote: “…as acknowledged by Respondents’ counsel, over the prior months, courts in this circuit have repeatedly, consistently, and with growing frequency found constitutional violations where individuals are detained at check-ins or appointments without prior notice or opportunity to be heard.”The case again highlights an issue faced by DHS over how it opts to detain and seek the removal of people. There have been multiple reports of immigrants detained at green-card and citizenship interviews seemingly without notice in recent months, while earlier in the year, immigrants deemed a major risk were fast-tracked for removal without a day in court.What People Are SayingJudge David G. Estudillo, in his ruling: “The procedure Respondents relied on to detain Petitioner resulted in the erroneous deprivation of Petitioner’s liberty interest.”Melissa Chaudhry, in a statement on Monday: “The US Attorney herself apologized directly to the Court and to my husband, for wrongly detaining him. This was a clear instance of standing up to a bully, and we won. Zahid will be released today. This should never have happened, and they admitted it.“My family will be whole again. My children will have their Baba home. And our communities will be richer and stronger by his presence – and more confident, and more courageous, because of this win. Today is proof that the rule of law still matters and that justice can prevail. When we fight, we win.”What Happens NextChaudry’s immigration status rests in the hands of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, with a hearing expected in January.