# The first case ever heard by America's terror removal court

> A Fort Worth grandmother became the first person ever tried in a secret court Congress built in 1996 and never used.
- Title: The first case ever heard by America's terror removal court
- Summary: A Fort Worth grandmother became the first person ever tried in a secret court Congress built in 1996 and never used. The Alien Terrorist Removal Court sat…
- Keywords: immigration, terrorism, justice department, fort worth, isis, news, politics, first, case, ever, heard, America's
- Source: Dallas Express — https://dallasexpress.com/national/afghan-woman-removed-in-first-alien-terrorist-removal-court-case
- Author: Dallas Express
- Published: 2026-09-12T12:00:36+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: immigration, terrorism, justice department, fort worth, isis, news, politics
## A first in 30 years
Nazira Haji Zada, 47, was deported from Fort Worth to Afghanistan after conceding she is an alien terrorist under federal law. Hers is the first case ever brought before the U.S. Alien Terrorist Removal Court.
## The order and the flight
Chief Judge Joan N. Ericksen signed an agreed order of judicial removal on August 20, 2026. Marshals and USCIS took custody on August 25 and she landed in Afghanistan the next day.
## Half a terabyte of evidence
The Justice Department filed on July 15, 2026. Zada appeared in open court in Washington on July 30. Prosecutors used classified material and handed her two public defenders roughly 500 gigabytes of documents.
## She agreed to go
With her lawyers' help, Zada conceded she qualified as an alien terrorist and waived her right to appeal. The order stripped her green card and permanently barred her from ever returning.

> Those who support and condone terrorism should not be living in the United States.
## What she was accused of
Prosecutors said Zada supported a 2024 ISIS-inspired mass shooting plot run by her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, and her son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi.
## Two rifles, 500 rounds
FBI agents arrested the pair on October 7, 2024, after they bought two AK-47-style rifles, 10 magazines and 500 rounds of ammunition from an undercover employee.
## Guilty pleas, 15 years
Tawhedi pleaded guilty in June 2025 to providing material support to ISIS and awaits sentencing. Abdullah, 17 at arrest, got the statutory maximum of 15 years and will be removed to Afghanistan afterward.
## Selling the house, buying tickets
Tawhedi targeted Election Day 2024 and asked an ISIS facilitator if 500 rounds would be enough. The family sold furniture, cars and phones, Zada signed a contract to sell the home, and one-way tickets to Kabul were bought for her and the younger children.
## How this court works
Congress created the ATRC in 1996. The Chief Justice picks five district judges for it. Removal requires only a preponderance of evidence, classified proof is allowed, and appeals go to the D.C. Circuit.
## Key takeaway

The Alien Terrorist Removal Court sat unused for 30 years. Its first case ended with a lawful permanent resident conceding she was a terrorist and being flown to Kabul.