Afghan woman faces deportation in first use of dormant Alien Terrorist Removal Court

A hearing before the Alien Terrorist Removal Court is set for Thursday in Washington, D.C., to consider the Justice Department’s request to deport Nazira Haji Zada, a Fort Worth resident accused of aiding an Islamic State-inspired attack on Election Day 2024. The court, created in 1996 but never used until now, has authority to order removal of individuals classified as “alien terrorists.”

Federal filings describe Haji Zada as the mother and mother-in-law of two Afghan men convicted in Oklahoma for their roles in the plot. Her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, received a 15-year sentence last November and had previously agreed to be removed after his release. Her son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to ISIS and was involved in acquiring weapons and arranging travel for family members.

An FBI memorandum dated July 15 alleges that Haji Zada supported the plot and encouraged her children to pledge loyalty to the terrorist group. The Justice Department filed the petition this month, making it the first application ever submitted to the court.

"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," acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said.

"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 Department’s application in this court makes clear that terrorists have no place in the United States of America," Blanche added.