Seattle Democratic Socialists of America demands the immediate release of Zahid Chaudhry, a 52-year-old decorated and disabled veteran, who was detained today by ICE during a citizenship interview in Tukwila, WA. SDSA had the privilege of getting to know Zahid and his wife, Melissa, during her campaign against U.S. Representative Adam Smith in 2024. Neither Zahid nor Melissa have been informed of the legal basis for Zahid’s detention.
We must continue to stand against the unlawful detention of our community members. Seattle DSA will always stand in solidarity with all those who have fallen victim to our ever-expanding police state. While Zahid was someone our members knew personally, we know this ongoing battle is being waged with the expectation that those with privilege will not defend strangers who are not like them. In our fight against fascist violence, our mission is to deny the Trump administration that possibility. We believe that remaining unified behind those from different backgrounds and experiences is a crucial aspect of solidarity, and we take any attack on those in our communities as an attack on all of us.
Seattle DSA strongly condemns the use of immigration detention as an ongoing tool of political repression. We encourage our members, and the community of Seattle and King County, to get involved in resisting the continued kidnapping, targeting, and detention of immigrants, regardless of criminal background. When violence facing our communities comes from our own government, it is our collective responsibility to protect each other, care for one another, and keep ourselves safe.
Our Immigrant Justice Working Group will be holding a Migrant Accompaniment Training on Sunday, August 24th, and our Palestine Solidarity Working Group will be co-hosting a picnic with Seattle Families for Palestine at Columbia Park that same day. Finally, on Sunday in Tacoma at 2pm SDSA will be joining a coalition of organizations for an Emergency Protest at the NW Detention Facility. Please be sure to check our event calendar for more details.
ICE OUT OF KING COUNTY!