US activates dormant terror removal court for first time to deport Afghan woman
The United States government has invoked a little-used court established nearly three decades ago to seek the deportation of an Afghan woman accused of supporting an Islamic State-inspired plot. The Alien Terrorist Removal Court, created in 1996 but never before used, is scheduled to hear the case of Nazira Haji Zada, a resident of Fort Worth, Texas, who was arrested earlier this week.
Court records unsealed on Wednesday (July 29, 2026) reveal that the Justice Department filed a petition earlier this month seeking Zada's removal from the country. The hearing is set for Thursday (July 30, 2026) in Washington, DC.
According to an FBI memo dated July 15, investigators have developed information that Zada is an Islamic State supporter who had her children pledge loyalty to the terrorist group. The memo further alleges that Zada supported a plot by relatives to carry out an ISIS-inspired attack in the United States.
Zada is identified as the mother and mother-in-law of two Afghan men convicted in Oklahoma for their roles in the 2024 Election Day plot. Her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, was sentenced to 15 years in prison last November and has agreed to be deported after his release. Her son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, a former security guard at a US military base in Afghanistan, pleaded guilty to conspiring and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State. Prosecutors say he took steps to advance his attack plans, including ordering AK-47 rifles, liquidating family assets, and purchasing one-way tickets for his wife and child to travel to Afghanistan.
The Alien Terrorist Removal Court was established by Congress in 1996 with the specific authority to conduct deportation proceedings for individuals classified as 'alien terrorists'. The court comprises five federal judges appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and proceedings will take place at the federal courthouse in Washington, DC.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated, '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 allegations in this case show the matriarch of an ISIS-sympathising 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.'
This case marks the first use of the Alien Terrorist Removal Court since its creation. Legal experts note that the court's procedures differ from standard immigration proceedings, offering a specific framework for handling cases involving national security concerns.
