U.S. invokes dormant Alien Terrorist Removal Court to pursue deportation of Afghan woman
The Justice Department has filed a petition with the long-inactive Alien Terrorist Removal Court to try to deport Nazira Haji Zada, accused of supporting an ISIS-inspired plot.
An Afghan woman living in Fort Worth, Texas, named Nazira Haji Zada, faces a deportation petition before the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, a body created in 1996 that has never previously heard a case. Federal authorities allege she supported an ISIS-inspired attack plan and had her children swear allegiance to the extremist group. The Justice Department filed the application on Wednesday, and a hearing is scheduled for Thursday at the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C. Court filings link her to two Afghan men convicted in Oklahoma for a 2024 Election Day plot—her son Abdullah Haji Zada, serving a 15-year sentence, and her son-in-law Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, who pleaded guilty to providing material support to ISIS. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized that Congress created the court to remove alien terrorists who should not be in the United States.
Why it matters
It marks the first use of a dormant court to target an alleged terrorist for removal, highlighting a new legal tool for national security.
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