US deports Afghan woman in first-ever case before special terrorism court

The US Department of Justice used the previously unused 1996 Alien Terrorist Removal Court for the first time to deport an Afghan woman, Nazira Haji Zada, who conceded to being an "alien terrorist" after allegedly supporting an ISIS-style mass shooting plot planned for Election Day 2024. The case marks a historic first for the court, created by Congress to ease the use of classified evidence. Haji Zada's lawyers argued the process violated due process as they could not review the evidence.

In a historic first, the US Department of Justice brought a case before the previously unused 1996 Alien Terrorist Removal Court (ATRC) and deported an Afghan woman legally residing in the US. Nazira Haji Zada, a 47-year-old mother from Fort Worth, Texas, conceded to being an "alien terrorist" after prosecutors alleged she supported a plan by her son and son-in-law to commit an ISIS-style mass shooting on America's Election Day in 2024. Both her son and son-in-law were charged in the plot and will be deported after their prison release. Haji Zada was arrested in July and tried in the ATRC, a court Congress created to make it easier for the DOJ to use classified evidence. Court records show she waived her right to challenge detention and agreed to deportation. Attorney General Todd Blanche called the case "a win for national security." Haji Zada's public defenders argued they could not review the evidence because it remained classified, calling the process "a plain violation of due process." The DOJ provided nearly half a terabyte of evidence to her lawyers. The DOJ alleged Haji Zada worked to radicalize her family and pledged loyalty to ISIS.