(../../../../favicon_aje.ico) Afghan woman deported in first use of US Alien Terrorist Removal Court | Courts News | Al Jazeera    (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/12/afghan-woman-deported-in-first-use-of-us-alien-terrorist-removal-court)                                               (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2026/9/12/afghan-woman-deported-in-first-use-of-us-alien-terrorist-removal-court)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/AP26254519545366-1789232685.jpg?resize=1920%2C1440)  (../../../../wp-content/uploads/2026/09/AP26254519545366-1789232685.jpg@resize=770,513&quality=80)     (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org/scripttemplates/otSDKStub.js) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (../../../../static/css/vendor~main~d08ff9cb.24bf1742.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~748942c6.6c6e15fe.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~b07b7304.e3bc53a0.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~6e6dca10.74fd263a.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~5db14389.c7afea12.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/media/Roboto-Bold.52bb58c8.woff2) (../../../../static/media/Roboto-Regular.c5bf51b6.woff2)  (../../../../static/css/vendor~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-blo~5f903362.2e08e417.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~41c72a2c.3f309873.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~06be7c11.0625e98d.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.ec3ab9b5.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/pages/article-page~493df0b3.accd71c7.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.ec3ab9b5.r2.chunk.css)   Skip links (afghan-woman-deported-in-first-use-of-us-alien-terrorist-removal-court@traffic_source=rss.html#main-content-area) Skip to Content  (https://www.aljazeera.com/)          (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Sign up  Show navigation menu     Navigation menu (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/) News    Show more news sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/africa/) Africa   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia/) Asia   (https://www.aljazeera.com/us-canada/) US & Canada   (https://www.aljazeera.com/latin-america/) Latin America   (https://www.aljazeera.com/europe/) Europe   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia-pacific/) Asia Pacific      (https://www.aljazeera.com/middle-east/) Middle East   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/explainer/) Explained   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sports) Sport   (https://www.aljazeera.com/opinion/) Opinion   (https://www.aljazeera.com/videos/) Video   More   Show more sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/features/) Features   (https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/) Economy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/human-rights/) Human Rights   (https://www.aljazeera.com/climate-crisis) Climate Crisis   (https://www.aljazeera.com/investigations/) Investigations   (https://www.aljazeera.com/interactives/) Interactives   (https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/) In Pictures   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/science-and-technology/) Science & Technology   (https://www.aljazeera.com/audio/podcasts) Podcasts   (https://www.aljazeera.com/travel) Travel   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored/) Sponsored Content        (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Click here to search search     Sign up        (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/) News |(https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/courts/) Courts   Afghan woman deported in first use of US Alien Terrorist Removal Court The Alien Terrorist Removal Court was created in 1996, but had never been used before Nazira Haji Zada’s case.   Listen   Listen (3 mins)       Save       Share Afghan woman deported in first use of US Alien Terrorist Removal Court on social media share-nodes    Share (https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Fyo8dr5) facebook      (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Afghan%20woman%20deported%20in%20first%20use%20of%20US%20Alien%20Terrorist%20Removal%20Court&source=sharethiscom&related=sharethis&via=AJEnglish&url=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Fyo8dr5) x    (whatsapp://send?text=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Fyo8dr5) whatsapp-stroke    (https://aje.news/yo8dr5)  copylink          google       Add Al Jazeera on Google  info      (FILE - The U.S. Department of Justice logo is seen on a podium before a news conference, May 4, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File))   The US Department of Justice logo [File: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP]   (https://www.aljazeera.com/author/al_jazeera_staff_150119130629458)     By  (https://www.aljazeera.com/author/al_jazeera_staff_150119130629458) Al Jazeera Staff , Reutersand The Associated Press   Published On 12 Sep 2026 12 Sep 2026    An Afghan woman accused of supporting the ISIL (ISIS) armed group has been deported from the United States in the first case brought before an obscure and long-dormant court created 30 years ago to remove people classified by the government as “alien terrorists”. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Friday that Nazira Haji Zada was deported to Afghanistan after being brought before the Alien Terrorist Removal Court. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/26/us-immigration-agents-arrested-more-than-49500-people-in-july) US immigration agents arrested more than 49,500 people in July  list 2 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/5/cuban-and-afghan-immigrants-deported-from-us-under-trump-arrive-in-guyana) Cuban and Afghan immigrants deported from US under Trump arrive in Guyana  list 3 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/11/handcuffed-and-blindfolded-is-the-us-targeting-ecuadorian-fishermen) ‘Handcuffed and blindfolded’: Is the US targeting Ecuadorian fishermen?   end of list  The 47-year-old lawful permanent resident, who had been living in Fort Worth, Texas, was arrested in 2024. US Attorney General Todd Blanche filed the papers for her removal on July 15 this year. She waived her rights to challenge her detention and was subsequently deported to Afghanistan. The DOJ accused Haji Zada of helping conceal an ISIL-inspired plot for a mass shooting in the US state of Oklahoma on election day in 2024. She was never charged with a crime, but her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, and son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, pleaded guilty to related charges. The Alien Terrorist Removal Court was created by Congress in 1996 as part of a broader effort to combat international terrorism. It is a specialised US federal court made up of five judges serving staggered five-year terms. It allows the US government to submit classified information in cases where disclosure could threaten national security, while requiring an unclassified summary that the court determines is sufficient for the accused to prepare a defence. The government must prove  with strong evidence that the person is an “alien terrorist”. Advertisement    The defence said that bringing lawful permanent residents before a court while withholding the evidence against them violated due process and predicted the court would eventually be found unconstitutional. DOJ officials described the deportation as a national security victory. “Those who support and condone terrorism should not be living in the United States,” Attorney General Todd Blanche said, adding that the case showed the department would use “every tool at its disposal” to protect the country. Haji Zada’s attorneys said her decision to consent to removal “should not be seen as an endorsement of this court’s legitimacy.” “Dragging lawful permanent residents into court but refusing to show them or their attorneys the evidence that will be used against them is a plain violation of due process,” the defence lawyers said in a statement. “We are confident that the Alien Terrorist Removal Court will be struck down as unconstitutional as soon as a judge is asked to address the issue.” It is unclear whether the DOJ would pursue additional cases through the previously unused court.            aj-logo             aj-logo             aj-logo       Advertisement          About About   Show more  (https://www.aljazeera.com/about-us) About Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/code-of-ethics/) Code of Ethics   (https://www.aljazeera.com/terms-and-conditions/) Terms and Conditions   (https://www.aljazeera.com/eu-eea-regulatory/) EU/EEA Regulatory Notice   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/) Privacy Policy   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/cookie/) Cookie Policy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Cookie Preferences    (https://trust.aljazeera.net/accessibility/) Accessibility Statement   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sitemap) Sitemap   (https://careers.aljazeera.net/) Work for us      Connect Connect   Show more  (https://network.aljazeera.net/en/contact?tid=6) Contact Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/user-accounts-help) User Accounts Help   (https://commercial.aljazeera.net/) Advertise with us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/stay-connected) Stay Connected   (https://www.aljazeera.com/newsletters) Newsletters   (https://sat.aljazeera.net/en) Channel Finder   (https://www.aljazeera.com/schedule/) TV Schedule   (https://www.aljazeera.com/podcasts/) Podcasts   (https://webapps.aljazeera.net/aje/tips/) Submit a Tip   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored) Paid Partner Content      Our Channels Our Channels   Show more  (http://aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Arabic   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Al Jazeera English   (https://www.ajiunit.com/) Al Jazeera Investigative Unit   (https://www.aljazeeramubasher.net/) Al Jazeera Mubasher   (http://doc.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Documentary   (http://balkans.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Balkans   (http://ajplus.net/) AJ+      Our Network Our Network   Show more  (http://studies.aljazeera.net/en/) Al Jazeera Centre for Studies   (http://training.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Media Institute   (http://learning.aljazeera.net/) Learn Arabic   (http://liberties.aljazeera.com/en) Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights   (http://forum.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Forum   (https://hotels.aljazeera.net/en) Al Jazeera Hotel Partners        Follow Al Jazeera English: (https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera) facebook       (https://twitter.com/ajenglish) twitter     (https://www.youtube.com/aljazeeraenglish) youtube     (https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/?hl=en) instagram-colored-outline                          (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml) rss     (https://bsky.app/profile/aljazeera.com) bluesky     (https://www.tiktok.com/@aljazeeraenglish) tiktok-colored-outline                  (Al Jazeera Media Network logo)   © 2026 Al Jazeera Media Network