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Alien Terrorist Removal Court to hold its first-ever hearing after 30 years
The US government is using the Alien Terrorist Removal Court for the first time to seek the deportation of Nazira Haji Zada, an Afghan woman accused of supporting an Islamic State-inspired plot. The case matters because the specialist court, created to handle suspected-terrorist removals while protecting national-security information, had remained unused for three decades.
Zada, who lives in Fort Worth, Texas, was due to appear at a hearing in Washington, DC. The Justice Department alleges that she supported a planned mass-casualty attack on US voters during the 2024 election; her son received a 15-year prison sentence over the plot, while her son-in-law pleaded guilty to terrorism-related offences. The five-judge court was established in 1996, and much of the evidence in this case remains classified or sealed.
In short
- A dormant US terrorism deportation court is hearing its first case.
- Government alleges an Afghan woman supported an ISIS-inspired election attack plot.
- Much of the case evidence is classified.
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The case for
Using the court could allow the government to pursue the removal of someone it alleges supported a serious terrorist plot while keeping sensitive intelligence from public disclosure. Supporters may argue that a specialist process, with judges experienced in national-security matters, offers a structured way to weigh security concerns and immigration law.
The case against
Because the evidence is largely classified or sealed, Zada and the public may have limited ability to scrutinise the allegations or assess how fairly they are being tested. Critics may argue that using a court dormant for three decades in a case with such restricted disclosure risks weakening transparency and meaningful safeguards in a proceeding with grave consequences.
Explained simply
The Alien Terrorist Removal Court is a specialised tribunal created by the United States government in 1996 to handle deportation cases involving people suspected of terrorism. The court was established to allow such cases to proceed whilst protecting classified national-security information from public disclosure. Throughout its 30-year existence, it has never been used.
Nazira Haji Zada, an Afghan woman living in Fort Worth, Texas, is the subject of the court's first deportation case. The United States Justice Department accuses her of providing material support for a planned mass-casualty attack aimed at American voters during the 2024 election. Her son received a 15-year prison sentence for his involvement in the alleged plot, and her son-in-law pleaded guilty to terrorism-related offences.
The case brings the specialised court into operation because evidence relating to the alleged conspiracy remains classified or sealed. The tribunal's procedures were designed to allow the government to present sensitive national-security information in legal proceedings without disclosing it publicly.
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