2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Wendy Tanowitz
September 23, 2019 green-girl@comcast.net
keepzahidhome.org
Muhammad Zahid Chaudhry Citizenship Interview
based on Earned and Qualified Military Service
CARPOOLING FOR RALLY
Thursday, October 3
Gather @ 7 am, Last vehicle departs at 7:20 sharp
Gather at Martin Way Park and Ride – meet at back of parking lot
4701 Martin Way East, Lacey
RSVP by text to: 360-529-1109
Zahid Chaudhry Citizenship Interview
US Citizenship and Immigration Service Seattle Field Office
12500 Tukwila International Blvd., Tukwila (Seattle)
Rally at 8:30 am
Zahid Chaudhry is a disabled, decorated U.S. Army veteran who has always come to this country legally and has never committed a crime here — not even a traffic ticket! So why is the U.S. government trying to deport him?
Is it because after 9-11, people from Pakistan were considered “terrorists”? Is it because his name was entered on a secret Terrorist Watchlist by an overzealous police lieutenant in Yakima who wanted to raise his profile during a period of extreme Islamophobia?
Is it because, after 9-11, he was designed NS (National Security [threat]) by someone?
Is it because of a policy called “Controlled Application Review and Resolution Program” (CARRP), under which the U.S. government excludes many applicants from Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim and South Asian communities by delaying and denying their applications without legal authority. Learn more: https://www.aclusocal.org/carrp
By law, citizenship based on military service should have been expedited. U.S. military veterans with Earned and Qualified Military Service are legally promised expedited naturalization. Zahid qualified for expedited naturalization because of his active-duty service from 2001 – 2005 (to 2006, for National Guard service). Zahid observed non-citizens receiving citizenship right after completing Basic Training.
George W. Bush issued the original Executive Order, which remains in effect to this day:
https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/07/print/20020703-24.html
USCIS document dated August 2019 indicating that the policy of Expedited Naturalization for Active-Duty members of the military (and National Guard) is currently in place.
https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-12-part-i-chapter-3
See UPDATES tab for more information
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Government’s Chief ICE attorney charged with stealing immigrants’ identities; privately profitting from causing suffering & tearing apart families and communities !
News reports reveal that among other examples, this is yet another Seattle ICE attorney charged in last few years, shows a Toxic Culture at Seattle ICE Offices, of personal Bias, Prejudice, Bigotry, Hatred & Malicious Acts !
Several nation-wide news agencies reported February 14th, 2018 about Government Chief ICE attorney in Seattle, Rafael A. Sanchez, charged with stealing immigrants’ identities. Check out Democracy Now, BuzzFeed, SeattlePI, Seattle Weekly, CNN, CNBC, AP and Washington Post among others – some links below.
As many of you may have read and heard, Government’s Chief ICE Attorney in Seattle was charged with stealing immigrants’ identities while making a killing (in more ways than one) from peoples’ suffering. This attorney earns 6 figure salary ($160,000) yet the identities of at least 7 immigrants were used by Government’s Chief Enforcer to fraud around 9 banks for about $250,000, put his own home utilities in those immigrants’ names, even listed 3 (of the 7 immigrants) as Dependants on his personal Federal income tax return to lower his Federal Income taxes. How would those immigrants even know their IDs had been stolen and used (by the ICE Agents) after they were deported?
And as many of you also know, had this been perpetrated by “Susie or Stevie Citizen,” the prosecution and charging would have been astronomical. However, Government’s Chief ICE attorney’s court charging document is called an “information”, meaning a plea bargain (no grand jury inquiry, and maybe a slap on the wrist).
Sanchez is the second lawyer in ICE’s Seattle office to run into legal trouble in recent years. Former Deputy Chief Attorney Jonathan Love pleaded guilty in 2016 to charges that he forged documents & forms (in the name of the immigrant) AND lied to court again & again to deprive an immigrant of the legal permanent resident status to which the immigrant was statutorily qualified !
Jonathan Love carried out the same shenanigans, & misled court in Zahid’s persecution: An applicant, statutorily eligible, is put in deportation proceedings because of a “check” mark, (on an un-paid, volunteer police position application – therefore: NO material BENEFIT); which forensics examiner said Zahid was not the maker of the mark. Deputy Chief attorney, Jonathan Love took Extra-Ordinary & Highly Unusual interest & witch hunt against Zahid for years. Chaudhrys’ attorney was shocked to see Jonathan Love at Zahid’s hearings and taking such intense, Unusual & personal interest in Zahid.
In January 2016, Deputy Chief Attorney, Jonathan Love was sentenced for forging legal (immigration) documents, and lying to court again & again to deliberatly deport an immigrant who was statutorily eligible and qualified. Jonathan Love pled guilty on a plea agreement (once again: “information”) with federal prosecutors. Mr. Love, who resigned in January 2016, received 30 day jail sentence, and was barred from practicing law for (only) 10 years. Scroll down for links to Jonathan Love news reports.
Given the convictions, actions & admittance of Mr. Love (the very same one who personally persecuted Zahid), the public should easily see Mr. Love’s (Government’s Deputy Chief ICE attorney)’s bias, prejudice, illegal acts, lies, forgeries, bigotry and hatred !
2018 News links:
Seattle Weekly: http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/immigrant-rights-community-responds-to-allegations-against-seattle-ice-attorney/
SeattlePI: https://www.seattlepi.com/seattlenews/article/ICE-Seattle-Immigration-Corruption-12617163.php
Seattle Times contains references to Seattle ICE attorney, Jonathan Love.
2016 Jonathan Love news & lawsuit links:
NW Immigrants Rights Project: https://www.nwirp.org/former-ice-attorney-pleads-guilty-in-case-triggered-by-nwirp-lawsuit/
NW Immigrants Rights Project: https://www.nwirp.org/nwirp-files-lawsuit-targeting-corrupt-ice-official/
Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/former-seattle-immigration-lawyer-gets-30-days-for-forging-document/
LawProfessors: http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2016/04/former-ice-attorney-headed-to-prison.html
Seattle PI: https://www.seattlepi.com/seattlenews/article/Charge-Seattle-ICE-prosecutor-lied-to-force-6757457.php
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2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 14th, 2017
Contact: Elissa Goss
512-466-3279
elissagoss8@gmail.com
Who: Community Gathering in Support of Ann & M. Zahid Chaudhry
Where: Seattle Immigration Court, 1000 2nd Ave, suite 2500, Seattle
Monday, July 17th at Noon – 12:45 for Vigil
Honorable Disabled American Veteran Threatened With Deportation
Disabled Veteran, Muhammed Zahid Chaudhry, has been threatened with removal from U.S. after 15 years of text-book examples of Controlled Application Review & Resolution Program (CARRP) also known as “Muslims Need Not Apply” policy worldwide: a secret policy created illegally by USCIS (only Congress can create laws), the immoral, unethical policy which delays, denies and forces agents to look for (and create) reasons to deport. His Honorable Military service qualified him (which has been the norm throughout U.S. history) for expedited naturalization, also clarified further per Executive Order 13269 by President Bush in 2002 and looking forward to citizenship, the government now wants to move forward with removal proceedings. The hearing is scheduled for Monday, July 17th at 1:00pm at the Seattle Immigration Court.
Community members from Olympia, Tacoma and Seattle are gathering in support of community leader Zahid Chaudhry, who became disabled training soldiers for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Mr. Chaudhry’s Uncle is famous American scientist, researcher & Professor at a State University; has written many books on cutting edge of research in the world. Mr. Chaudhry used to come over several years time in 1990’s from Australia & Pakistan to visit and spend summers and winters with his Uncle and his family, and his cousin. After he & Ann got married, Zahid joined the National Guard from which he was later Honorably Discharged, in addition to Honorably retired from U.S. Armed Forces after being injured and confined to a wheelchair.
Most community members know him through his numerous years of volunteer work and his family; his wife Ann, 2 kids and 5 grandkids.
Many believe him to be unjustly targeted through a program called Controlled Application Review and Resolution Program (CARRP) which the ACLU has dubbed, the “Muslims Need Not Apply” program that excludes many applicants from the citizenship process by delaying or denying their applications based on their nationality from various Middle Eastern, Muslim, South Asian and Arab communities. Mr. Chaudhry has had bi-partisan – across the isle support from state and federal legislators, including but not limited to, US Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell to receive his earned citizenship but under the current administration, he has been under increasing surveillance, pressure, intimidation & threats and his process has taken a surprising new turn with threat of deportation after the government attorney has said they “wanted to settle” and drop proceedings in this matter.
To see for yourself & comprehend this unethical, discriminatory, immoral, illegal and once secret CARRP policy, please watch YouTube video presentation from Ann Chaudhry, already broadcast on TV 16 times and watched worldwide.
Supporters will gather outside the court building together with Mr. Chaudhry and family from noon to 12:45 and will then sit in solidarity during the court proceedings.
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READ FORENSIC HANDWRITING EXPERT’S CONCLUSION HERE
SEE THE INFAMOUS REFERENCED “QUESTION” HERE – which is Department’s idiotic reason for this deportation proceeding.
1- See for yourself the Forensic Document Expert & Examiner’s conclusion in paragraph #8 : Mr. Chaudhry is not the maker of the mark.
2- Chaudhry’s marks on the pages were neat “x’s”, not “check marks.”
3- The Department’s twisted rationale & diabolical interpretation is that by checking the box, Mr. Chaudhry has claimed citizenship. Really ??
4- In Mr. Gary Belles’ deposition, he admitted that he perpetrated a ruse on Zahid by bringing Zahid in for a Secondary Interview, when months prior, Belles had already decided not to hire Zahid for the volunteer, unpaid position.
5-And Mr. Belles went around agitating & creating xenophobia in fringe groups (including, but not limited to: county militia, anti-immigration & anti-minority groups, etc.) wanting ‘kudos’ & ‘pats on the back,’ telling them he was the one who went out of his way to make sure Chaudhry wouldn’t have any future in any city or county jobs, even volunteer, unpaid ones.
6- That was the reason why, when the Commander of County Militia & others were going to testify in Federal Court to what Mr. Belles had said in those meetings, immigration service choked those testimonies with Summary Judgment Motion & quashed the case. So the case, which had been scheduled for over a year, that was to be heard over a whole week in Federal District Court in Yakima didn’t happen.
7- Also in Mr. Belles’ deposition, Belles further admitted he had made many marks on Zahid’s application and personal history statement; he also indicated that “citizenship” was not a normal question in interview for this volunteer, unpaid position. So why was it asked? Could Belles have marked that box along with the other markings he’d admitted he’d made?
8- Interesting enough, neither did two other YPD employees mention ‘citizenship’ question during interview or even in their notes !
9- What if, when personal history statement left your hand, the “yes” AND “no” boxes were unmarked ?
10- Even if you selected the “yes” box to this question, would you be claiming citizenship? Or, by selecting “yes,” would you merely be indicating that you would co-operate in future when asked ?
11- Besides (just for argument’s sake) even if there is a check mark it does not meet the Department’s burden to establish their charge of removability by clear, convincing unequivocal evidence & proof that Mr. Chaudhry was going to materially benefit from a volunteer, unpaid position.
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As broadcast on TV in Washington, USA
and Watched Worldwide !!!
SEE: Ann Chaudhry’s presentation on CARRP*
“Muslims Need Not Apply”
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1kRqQuA8tI&feature=youtu.be%5D
* Orwellian Double-Speak: CARRP = Controlled Application Review & Resolution Program
For all intents & purposes: “Muslims Need Not Apply”
Read the “Muslims Need Not Apply” reports and articles linked below, about previously-secret, racial & religious profiling and mandatory discrimination program CARRP (Controlled Application Review & Resolution Program) detailing how DHS, through CARRP, unconstitutionally delays and eventually denies basic human rights & due process, including naturalization of eligible individuals from Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian communities. This secret program was recently exposed by Peoples’ rights organizations and true investigative journalists all over the world ! The program relies on deeply flawed mechanisms, including error-ridden & over-broad watch-list systems, security checks, religious, national origin & associated profiling; which, predictably catches far too many harmless applicants in its net and overwhelmingly affects applicants who are Muslim or perceived-to-be Muslim.
“CARRP effectively turns over the immigrant rights application process to the FBI, (or other agencies) allowing them to dictate to USCIS when or whether an application should be granted, denied, or held in abeyance. It also provides the FBI an opportunity to comment on USCIS’s proposed decisions in immigration cases, to submit questions for USCIS to ask in interviews, and to suggest Requests for Evidence that USCIS should make.
CARRP requires USCIS officers to inform the FBI or other relevant law enforcement agencies as soon as an applicant it has labeled an “NS” (National Security concern) has filed an immigration application. As a result, far too often, the FBI exploits this information to blackmail applicants to work for them as informants, telling applicants that the FBI can help them get their long-delayed immigration application adjudicated and approved if they agree to snitch on their communities.” (See ACLU report)
http://www.ACLUSOCAL.org/CARRP/library.html
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/08/carrp-fbi-immigration-terrorism-aclu
America AlJazeera also has a report and terrific, must see, short video on their site: http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/the-stream/the-stream-officialblog/2013/8/21/-muslims-need-notapply.html
The Huffington Post news:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennie-pasquarella/muslims-need-not-apply_b_3792214.html
The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/21/fbi-power-delay-citizenship-muslims-aclu
Imagine 2050:http://imagine2050.newcomm.org/2013/08/30/muslims-need-not-apply-aclu-report-reveals-immigration-dragnet/
Euro Islam: http://www.euro-islam.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/161849063-Muslims-Need-Not-Apply-Aclu-Socal-Report.pdf
Iran Times: http://iran-times.com/secret-us-policy-is-freezing-some-muslim-citizen-filings/
Common Dreams: https://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/08/29-2
NBC Southern California Los Angeles: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/ACLU-Contends-Covert-Federal-Program-Illegally-Blacklists-Muslim-and-Arab-Residents-Seeking-Citizenship-220604971.html
Care2: http://www.care2.com/causes/apparently-muslims-need-not-apply-for-u-s-citizenship.html
Ben Norton: http://bennorton.com/human-rights-need-not-apply
Daily KOS: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/08/22/1233099/-Muslims-Need-Not-Apply#
Uprising Radio: http://uprisingradio.org/home/2013/08/27/muslims-need-not-apply/
Counter Currents: http://www.countercurrents.org/ghazali020114.htm
CARRP: Controlled Application Review and Resolution Program. Of course, in the Orwellian double-speak: that means delaying, denying and refusing rightful applicants for citizenship based on whim of racial, religious, peace & justice friends profiling.
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We will be updating this website continually, so check back often for new and updated information.
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Click the “Endorsements” tab to view a small sample of recommendations for citizenship from U.S. Senators, State Representatives, professionals, clergy, and many others from all walks of life.
Follow these links for media coverage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBfyTF17C0o (Video of interview with Mike McCormick, January 9, 2011, Mind Over Matters, KEXP Radio, Seattle)
“Family Faces Deportation” (Interview in Works in Progress, Jan 2011)
“Deportation? Let’s Use Some Common Sense”(Editorial board of the Yakima Herald-Republic, 8 Nov 2009)
“Honorably Discharged US National Guard Soldier Faces Deportation !” (YU South & Associates, 2 Nov 2009)
“Disabled U.S. Soldier Fighting Deportation to Pakistan” (Democratic Underground, Jan 3, 2011)
“Former National Guard Soldier Fights Deportation” (Seattle Times, 1 Nov 2009)
“Former WA Guardsman Fights Deportation Order” (National Guard, Nov 1, 2009)
“Disabled U.S. Army veteran files lawsuit seeking citizenship” (We Are America)
“Disabled U.S. Soldier Fighting Deportation Order” (McClatchy D.C., Jan 13, 2011)
“Decorated, disabled local veteran faces deportation hearing in April”(Works In Progress February 2011) NOTE: some links within WIP are outdated due to archival.
“Deportation of a National Guard Soldier” (Associated Press and Yakima Herald-Republic, 30 Oct 2009)
Interview on “Talking Stick TV” (KEXP Seattle and Seattle Community Access Network):
Video of speech at Sept. 15, 2010 immigration forum:
Keep Zahid Home ! 