From Fox News · Brie Stimson · · 1m 30s
A 30-year-old court just got used for the first time
Congress created the Alien Terrorist Removal Court in 1996. It sat unused until an Afghan woman in Fort Worth admitted she was an alien terrorist.
In brief
Congress created the Alien Terrorist Removal Court in 1996. It sat unused until an Afghan woman in Fort Worth admitted she was an alien terrorist. A dormant 1996 court is now live, and its first case ended in deportation before any judge tested whether the court is constitutional. Originally reported by Fox News.
A court wakes up
Nazira Haji Zada, 47, was deported to Afghanistan in the first successful use of the U.S. Alien Terrorist Removal Court. Congress authorized it in 1996 and nobody had used it since.
“This landmark case, resulting in the prompt removal of this alien terrorist to her country of origin, is a win for national security and the rule of law.”
She admitted the label
Zada conceded to the court that she was an "alien terrorist" and waived her appeal. A removal order had been issued on Aug. 20, and she is permanently barred from returning.
The Election Day plot
Her son Abdullah Haji Zada and son-in-law Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi were arrested in October 2024 after buying guns and ammunition from an undercover FBI agent.
AK-47s for ISIS
Both men admitted they bought AK-47 rifles to carry out a mass shooting for the Islamic State. The son got 15 years. Tawhedi is still awaiting sentencing.
Selling everything, buying tickets
The family allegedly sold their possessions to fund the attack and bought one-way tickets to Kabul, for everyone except the two men who would stay behind to carry it out.
Her lawyers are not done
The defense says consenting to removal was not an endorsement of the court. They argue holding proceedings against permanent residents without showing them the evidence violates due process.
“We are confident that the Alien Terrorist Removal Court will be struck down as unconstitutional as soon as a judge is asked to address the issue.”
What to remember
A dormant 1996 court is now live, and its first case ended in deportation before any judge tested whether the court is constitutional.
