AnAfghanwoman accused of supporting an ISIS-inspired mass shooting on Election Day 2024 has been deported to her home country in the first successful use of a specialized federal court established by Congress — the U.S. Alien Terrorist Removal Court (ATRC) — 30 years ago to determine whether a non-citizen is an \"alien terrorist.\"

Nazira Haji Zada, 47, was sent back to Afghanistan after recently admitting to the ATRC that she was an \"alien terrorist\" and waving an appeal, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

\"This landmark case, resulting in the prompt removal of this alien terrorist to her country of origin, is a win for national security and the rule of law,\" Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement.

\"Those who support and condone terrorism should not be living in the United States, and this first-ever case before the ATRC shows how the [DOJ] will use every tool at its disposal to protect our country.\"

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Zada’s son and son-in-law, Abdullah Haji Zada and Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, were previously convicted for their part in the alleged plot. The men were arrested in October 2024 after allegedly buying guns and ammunition from anundercover FBI agent.

They later admitted to buying AK-47 rifles to carry out a mass shooting on behalf of the Islamic State. Zada's son was sentenced to 15 years in prison, and Tawhedi is awaiting sentencing, according to the DOJ.

Zada, who had been living as a permanent resident in Fort Worth, Texas, is not allowed back in the U.S. again. The court had issued an order of removal for Zada on Aug. 20.

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FBI DirectorKash Patelcalled Zada’s deportation a \"historic and vitally important step in our work to protect the U.S. homeland from terrorism.\"

He added, \"An individual who supported a plot by ISIS-sympathizing family members to commit an attack in America has paid the price for that. She came to our country, betrayed it, and has now lost the right to live here and enjoy our democratic freedoms. This FBI and our Justice Department partners will protect the American people from the threat of terrorism, using all means necessary.\"

The family allegedly began selling their possessions to raise money for the attack, and the family bought one-way tickets toKabul, except for her son and Tawhedi.

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Haji Zada’s attorneys said her decision to consent to removal \"should not be seen as an endorsement of this court’s legitimacy.\"

\"Dragging lawful permanent residents into court but refusing to show them or their attorneys the evidence that will be used against them is a plain violation of due process,\" defense lawyers said in a statement Friday.

\"We are confident that the Alien Terrorist Removal Court will be struck down as unconstitutional as soon as a judge is asked to address the issue.\"

The court’s authority was given byCongressin 1996, but Zada’s deportation is the first time it's been used.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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This landmark case, involving classified evidence, could set a precedent for future terrorism-related immigration cases.","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.","https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2269712154.jpg?resize=1200,683","2026-09-11T18:49:46","https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/immigration/4724126/trump-administration-removes-afghan-national-first-use-alien-terrorist-removal-court/","politics",{"_27":351,"_299":352,"_137":301,"_80":353,"_313":360,"_314":361,"_316":362},"6e05eada0dc0bccb289c45930fe76af98f5ade8b3d4e4575c37b35fd32ff6e7f","7cb4073bcbbf0c637e4459efb2269023b083b74e2e7d3fb8fcbff25a88e4b4d6d98072fbc4bb38d919515c2769664cbde4ef9d7e277d495661c79833b8dfd2b0",[354,355,356,358,359],[244,343],[44,346],[306,357,39,308],"30023:273e8bb9fd7425c0374f8baaf3104fc54a564adcca09161692dd60c903b72e26:cf9a21db-614c-41a3-9cb7-028bcdf34937",[310,39],[140,360,39],"273e8bb9fd7425c0374f8baaf3104fc54a564adcca09161692dd60c903b72e26","DOJ uses Alien Terrorist Removal Court for first time to deport Afghan woman\nThe 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.\n\n\nnostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzqfe73wul6ap9cqm5lza27vgyl3222e9dejsfzctf9htqeypmwt3xqqjxxe3evyerzerz95mrzdrr956rzcfn95ukxc3h95crywrzvdjxvve58yenwtn4sf3 ",1789195816,"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.\nNazira Haji Zada, 47, conceded through her lawyers that she qualified as an “alien terrorist” and waived her right to appeal, according to the DOJ on Friday. The woman, who had been residing in Fort Worth, Texas, was returned to Afghanistan and is permanently barred from entering the United States.\nThe Alien Terrorist Removal Court ordered Zada’s removal on Aug. 20. The Trump administration did not disclose her departure until about two weeks after she left the country, saying the delay allowed her to finish traveling before sensitive court records became public.\n“The Respondent has ostensibly completed her travel to her final destination and there is no longer a need to maintain the aforementioned materials under seal,” government lawyers wrote in an unsealing motion.\nThe filing said 14 days had passed since Zada’s removal. The court unsealed the order Friday with redactions agreed upon by both sides.\nThe government used classified information to establish its case and gave Zada and her two federal public defenders about half a terabyte of supporting documents, according to the Justice Department. She has not been charged with a terrorism-related crime.\nProsecutors said Zada supported her son and son-in-law as they planned an Islamic State group-inspired mass shooting around Election Day in 2024. Attorney General Todd Blanche certified the removal application, and Chief Judge Joan Ericksen signed the final order.\n“This landmark case, resulting in the prompt removal of this alien terrorist to her country of origin, is a win for national security and the rule of law,” Blanche said.\nZada’s son, Abdullah Haji Zada, and her son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, were arrested in October 2024 after buying two AK-47-style rifles and 500 rounds of ammunition from an undercover FBI employee.\nAbdullah Haji Zada, who was 17 when arrested, pleaded guilty as an adult and received a 15-year prison sentence. Tawhedi pleaded guilty to terrorism and firearms offenses and is awaiting sentencing.\nCongress established the Alien Terrorist Removal Court in 1996 to handle immigration cases involving classified evidence, but no administration used it until the Trump administration’s second term. The government’s successful removal of Zada could pave the way for the court to hear more cases pertaining to suspected terrorist activities.\nA special part of the court allows its judges to review information withheld from the public, while the government must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that a noncitizen qualifies as a terrorist. This assessment has drawn criticism of the rarely used court over its lack of typical due process privileges found in typical federal courts.",{"_281":239,"_282":365,"_284":366},"d765bddf-d442-49fa-a35a-a7f388f7d2be",{"_27":365,"_40":367,"_287":368,"_42":369,"_251":370,"_291":-5,"_29":292,"_293":371,"_295":372,"_244":349,"_80":-5,"_82":120,"_238":373,"_281":239,"_318":386},"Afghan Woman in Texas Dubbed an \"Alien Terrorist\" Is Deported in DOJ's First Case Using Obscure Court","Nazira Haji Zada, an Afghan permanent resident in Texas, has been deported after the Justice Department accused her of being an \"alien terrorist\" under the Alien Terrorist Removal Court. This court allows for the deportation of noncitizens using classified evidence that targets cannot review. Haji Zada opted to leave the U.S. rather than continue litigation, with the Justice Department considering this a victory for national security.","Updated on: September 11, 2026 / 11:17 AM EDT / CBS News","https://assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2026/09/11/feaa22bc-1a81-4261-9856-6ec2a306c5a0/thumbnail/1200x630/1f4a9bec93ae8e66acdfbe93beaa92c2/gettyimages-2293699460.jpg","2026-09-11T15:16:00","https://www.cbsnews.com/news/afghan-woman-deported-doj-alien-terrorist-removal-court/",{"_27":374,"_299":375,"_137":301,"_80":376,"_313":383,"_314":384,"_316":385},"371372de95df0adb69eccc9310b8465be8789654e65b1bd6aea567878f9ed64f","fc9571e97f9eaddb8bbc156845f82e185d7b1ec14f926f2b1d0c209f8881de544b02c0c8aec266b293d9cea1f58352f93317d038e663cb3365506a2d18fd857a",[377,378,379,381,382],[244,367],[44,370],[306,380,39,308],"30023:6759f7a309cd07f7abfe0c57ab4e0ff30ffcd68d9c744d403f22e2428df23738:d765bddf-d442-49fa-a35a-a7f388f7d2be",[310,39],[140,383,39],"6759f7a309cd07f7abfe0c57ab4e0ff30ffcd68d9c744d403f22e2428df23738","Afghan Woman in Texas Dubbed an \"Alien Terrorist\" Is Deported in DOJ's First Case Using Obscure Court\nUpdated on: September 11, 2026 / 11:17 AM EDT / CBS News\n\n\nnostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzqe6e773snng8774lurzh4d8qluc0lntgm8r5f4qr7ghzg2xlydecqqjxgdekx43xgerx94jrgdpj956rjenp94snxdtp94snwe3n8quxvdmyxf3x2f2glum ",1789195127,"An Afghan permanent resident living in Texas has been deported after the Justice Department accused her of being an \"alien terrorist,\" in the first such case of its kind, the department announced on Friday.\n\nNazira Haji Zada, 47, opted to leave the United States rather than continue litigating the case in the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, the department said.\n\nThe Alien Terrorist Removal Court was first created in 1996 to allow the government to deport noncitizens who could not be removed by the traditional legal process because the information about their cases was classified and could not be made public for national security reasons.\n\nPublic defenders representing Haji Zada had initially indicated she intended to fight the government's efforts to deport her, saying the court's secretive rules violated her due process rights.\n\nThe targets of the court's noncitizen terrorist removal proceedings — including legal permanent residents — are not permitted to review the classified evidence against them. And unlike criminal proceedings, targets are barred from legally challenging how the evidence was collected by the government.\n\nHaji Zada has never been charged with a crime. However, her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, and son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, were both prosecuted and convicted over a plot to commit an ISIS-inspired mass shooting on Election Day in 2024.\n\nThe Justice Department has alleged that Haji Zada supported their plans and worked to try to radicalize her children to support ISIS.\n\nThe Justice Department said on Friday that it had shared half a terabyte of documents with her lawyers in support of its evidence that she is an alien terrorist. Haji Zada \"conceded that she is an alien terrorist and waived appeal of the removal order, terminating her previous status,\" the department said in a press release.\n\n\"This landmark case, resulting in the prompt removal of this alien terrorist to her country of origin, is a win for national security and the rule of law,\" Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. \"Those who support and condone terrorism should not be living in the United States, and this first-ever case before the ATRC shows how the Department will use every tool at its disposal to protect our country.\"",[],"selectedArticleImage","rootArticleImageUrl","consensusHtml","tweets",[],"userSchema","perspectivesColumns","intro","relatedArticles",[320,366,342,285],"actionData","errors"]

DOJ Uses Alien Terrorist Removal Court to Deport Afghan Woman

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