Department of Justice uses specialized court to deport Afghan woman

The U.S. Department of Justice has completed the first case in the history of the Alien Terrorist Removal Court (ATRC), a specialized tribunal established by Congress in 1996 that had remained unused for three decades.

Through this court, officials deported Nazira Haji Zada, a 47-year-old permanent resident from Fort Worth, Texas. Zada admitted to being an “alien terrorist” after admitting her role in supporting an ISIS-inspired plot. Federal prosecutors stated that Zada, the family matriarch, supported a plan by her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, and her son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, to carry out a mass shooting around Election Day in 2024.

The two men were arrested after attempting to purchase firearms and ammunition from an undercover FBI employee. Abdullah Haji Zada pleaded guilty as an adult and received a 15-year sentence, while Tawhedi is awaiting sentencing following a guilty plea to terrorism charges. Zada appeared before Chief Judge Joan Ericksen, conceded the designation, and waived her right to appeal. She is now permanently barred from entering the United States.