The United States Justice Department has secured the first deportation carried out through the country’s little-used Alien Terrorist Removal Court, after an Afghan woman accused of supporting an ISIS-linked terror plot agreed to leave the country.
The woman, Nazira Haji Zada, was deported to Afghanistan after conceding that she was an “alien terrorist”, according to newly unsealed court documents and an announcement by the Justice Department.
Haji Zada, who lived in Dallas, Texas, was accused by the department of assisting her son and son-in-law in planning a foiled 2024 terror plot.
Her lawyers had initially challenged the constitutionality of the tribunal, arguing that its secretive procedures violated due-process protections and other constitutional rights.
However, court filings showed that Haji Zada and the Trump administration reached an agreement last month. By August 20, she had agreed to her deportation, accepted the government’s designation of her as an alien terrorist and waived her right to appeal the removal order.
The Alien Terrorist Removal Court was created by Congress about 30 years ago to allow the government to swiftly remove people accused of terrorism when ordinary immigration proceedings could expose sensitive national security information.
Unlike routine immigration cases, the tribunal operates before Article III judges, while classified information can be withheld from the public and, in some circumstances, the immigrant facing removal.
Attorney General Todd Blanche described the case as a major achievement for the administration, saying, “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.
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.”
The tribunal had never previously been used by earlier administrations, with legal observers questioning why the Trump administration chose to activate it despite unresolved constitutional concerns.
The case also ended without a substantive ruling on those questions because of Haji Zada’s agreement to be deported.
According to court filings, Haji Zada did not speak English and could not read or write.
Her son is serving a 15-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to obtaining firearms to support a terrorist organisation, while her son-in-law, described in the filings as the driving force behind the ISIS-aligned plot, entered a plea deal but has yet to be sentenced.
The Justice Department alleged that Haji Zada indoctrinated family members with ISIS ideology and took steps to support plans targeting the 2024 US election.
FBI Director Kash Patel also welcomed the deportation, saying, “This is a historic and vitally important step in our work to protect the U.S. homeland from terrorism.
An individual who supported a plot by ISIS-sympathizing family members to commit an attack in America has paid the price for that.”
