DOJ uses Alien Terrorist Removal Court for first time to deport Afghan woman
The Justice Department confirmed the removal of an Afghan woman from the United States in the first completed case before a specialized terrorism court that Congress created 30 years ago but had never been used.
TL;DR
- The Justice Department conducted the first-ever deportation using the Alien Terrorist Removal Court.
- Nazira Haji Zada, an Afghan woman residing in Fort Worth, Texas, was removed from the US and permanently barred from re-entry.
- Zada acknowledged through her lawyers that she qualified as an 'alien terrorist' and waived her right to appeal.
- The court ordered her removal on August 20, and the Trump administration delayed public disclosure until her travel was complete.
- The government used classified information to build its case, providing Zada's defense with extensive documents.
- Zada was accused of supporting her son and son-in-law in planning an Islamic State group-inspired mass shooting.
- Her son and son-in-law were arrested in October 2024 with firearms and have pleaded guilty to terrorism and firearms offenses.
- Congress established the Alien Terrorist Removal Court in 1996, but it had never been utilized until the Trump administration's second term.