First Use of Dormant Alien Terrorist Removal Court Targets Afghan Woman

The Alien Terrorist Removal Court, created by Congress in 1996 to deport “alien terrorists,” had never received a petition until the Justice Department filed an application this month. The court consists of five federal judges from different districts, appointed by the chief justice of the Supreme Court, and currently conducts proceedings at the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C.

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Nazira Haji Zada, a resident of Fort Worth, Texas, was arrested earlier this week on accusations of supporting an Islamic State-inspired attack on U.S. voters. An FBI memorandum dated July 15 reported that she “developed information” indicating she was an ISIS supporter who had her children pledge loyalty to the group. The memo also alleges that she aided a plot devised by relatives to carry out a mass-casualty attack on Election Day. Her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, is serving a 15-year sentence after being convicted for involvement in the 2024 Oklahoma Election Day plot, and had previously agreed to be removed from the United States after release. Her son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, pleaded guilty to providing material support to ISIS, including ordering AK-47 rifles and arranging travel for his family back to Afghanistan.

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The Justice Department’s petition seeks Nazira’s removal under the court’s authority to deport individuals classified as “alien terrorists.” Court filings were unsealed on Wednesday, and a hearing is scheduled for Thursday in Washington, D.C.

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• “The allegations in this case show the matriarch of an ISIS-sympathizing family aiding in a plot to launch a mass casualty attack on American voters on Election Day. The Department’s application in this court makes clear that terrorists have no place in the United States of America,” — General Todd Blanche, acting attorney

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