Trump administration appeals to never-before-used court for deportation

What the report says

Al Jazeera reported that the Trump administration has convened the Alien Terrorist Removal Court for the first time, seeking to deport Nazira Haji Zada, a 47-year-old Afghan woman and lawful permanent resident living in Fort Worth, Texas. The court was created by Congress in 1996 to handle removal cases involving alleged terrorists but had not previously been used, and its legal status remains disputed.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the forum was intended for removing noncitizens accused of terrorism-related grounds. Prosecutors allege Haji Zada had links to an election-day 2024 shooting plot involving her sons, Tawhedi and Abdullah Haji Zada. Both sons were arrested in October 2024 before any attack occurred and later pleaded guilty; Abdullah is serving a 15-year prison term, while Tawhedi is awaiting sentencing. The FBI says the case was interrupted when the men tried to buy rifles and ammunition from an undercover agent.

Haji Zada herself faces no criminal charges. According to Al Jazeera, government lawyers told the court that parts of their case rely on classified information that cannot be publicly disclosed, including material the FBI said could expose intelligence sources or methods. The Justice Department alleges she encouraged sympathy for ISIL and planned to leave the US for Kabul before the alleged plot.

Her public defender, Matthew Farley, argues the proceeding violates due process and is being used to bypass ordinary immigration and criminal safeguards. At Thursday’s hearing, Judge Joan Ericksen declined to dismiss the case immediately and emphasized that the matter is civil, not criminal. The case matters because it tests an unused national-security removal mechanism amid broader Trump administration deportation efforts.