First Case Heard by US Alien Terrorist Removal Court Results in Deportation
Nazira Haji Zada, a 47-year-old legal US resident from Afghanistan, has been deported after admitting to being an "alien terrorist." This marks the first instance of the long-dormant Alien Terrorist Removal Court being used.
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Nazira Haji Zada, a 47-year-old Afghan woman with legal permanent residency in the US, was deported after being the first case handled by the newly utilized Alien Terrorist Removal Court, which had never previously heard a case since its establishment in 1996. Although she was never charged with a crime, her son and son-in-law were convicted for a plot inspired by the Islamic State to carry out a mass shooting on Election Day 2024. Haji Zada waived her appeal and accepted removal, while her lawyers contended that the proceedings violated her due process rights, asserting that they were denied access to the evidence against her.
Nazira Haji Zada, a 47-year-old Afghan woman, was deported from the United States after being brought before the long-dormant Alien Terrorist Removal Court for allegedly supporting ISIL, marking the first case since its creation 30 years ago. Arrested in 2024, she waived her rights to challenge her detention and faced accusations related to hiding an ISIL-inspired plot for a mass shooting in Oklahoma, although she was never criminally charged. Her son and son-in-law pleaded guilty to related charges, and the DOJ emphasized this deportation as a win for national security, despite defense attorneys arguing that the court's procedures violate due process.
The Justice Department has deported Nazira Haji Zada, a 47-year-old legal US resident originally from Afghanistan, to her home country after she admitted to being an "alien terrorist," marking the first use of the Alien Terrorist Removal Court in its 30-year history. Haji Zada's son, 19-year-old Abdullah Haji Zada, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for planning an Islamic State-inspired mass shooting on Election Day 2024, while her son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, also faced charges related to the plot, which included fundraising through the sale of family possessions. Haji Zada, who moved to the US in 2018, consented to her deportation without access to the classified evidence against her, despite her attorneys arguing that this process violated her constitutional rights.