The Trump administration is attempting to utilize the Alien Terrorist Removal Court for the first time since its establishment three decades ago to deport Nazira Haji Zada, an Afghan woman accused of supporting an Islamic State-inspired terror plot in the United States. Court records indicate that Haji Zada, who resides in Fort Worth, Texas, was arrested earlier this week and is facing deportation proceedings. An initial hearing is scheduled for Thursday in Washington, D.C.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that the allegations involve Haji Zada aiding a plot to conduct a mass casualty attack on American voters on Election Day. An FBI memo from July 15 indicates that authorities have information suggesting Haji Zada supports the Islamic State and that her children have pledged loyalty to the group.
Haji Zada is identified in court documents as the mother and mother-in-law of two Afghan men convicted in connection with a 2024 Election Day terror plot. Her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, was sentenced to 15 years in prison and agreed to be deported after his release. Her son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and attempted material support for the Islamic State, with prosecutors alleging he attempted to facilitate an attack by acquiring weapons and planning to send his family back to Afghanistan.
The Alien Terrorist Removal Court was created in 1996 but had not received a petition until this month when the Justice Department filed an application for Haji Zada's deportation. The court is designed to hear cases involving noncitizens alleged to be 'alien terrorists' when classified evidence is involved. The court proceedings will take place at the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse in Washington, D.C.