Story perspectives

U.S. deports Afghan resident Nazira Haji Zada after court order

By Drooid · Sep 13, 2026, 6:17 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

U.S. authorities deported Afghan resident Nazira Haji Zada after an Alien Terrorist Removal Court order.
Chief Judge Joan Ericksen issued the removal order on Aug. 20, 2026.
Nazira Haji Zada was physically removed from the United States on Aug. 25, 2026.
She waived appeal and admitted being an “alien terrorist” in court.
Justice Department said she helped conceal an ISIS-inspired Election Day 2024 mass-shooting plot.

History

Historical Context

The 2004 Supreme Court ruling in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld (June 28, 2004) required that U.S. citizens designated as enemy combatants receive due-process hearings, leading to Hamdi’s release on Oct 9, 2004 after nearly three years of detention. Decades later, the Terrorist Removal Court’s August 2026 order to deport Afghan Nazira Haji Zada for a 2024 ISIS-linked election plot shows the same post-9/11 legal framework still guiding U.S. counter-terrorism removals.

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Story summary

U.S. authorities deported Afghan resident Nazira Haji Zada after an Alien Terrorist Removal Court order.
Chief Judge Joan Ericksen issued the removal order on Aug. 20, 2026.
Nazira Haji Zada was physically removed from the United States on Aug. 25, 2026.
She waived appeal and admitted being an “alien terrorist” in court.
Justice Department said she helped conceal an ISIS-inspired Election Day 2024 mass-shooting plot.

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