Trump administration removes Afghan national in first use of Alien Terrorist Removal Court

Afghan woman deported in first use of US Alien Terrorist Removal Court

Court was created in 1996, but had never been used before Nazira Haji Zada’s case.

Sep 12, 2026

Afghan woman deported from US in first use of 'alien terrorist' court

The legal US resident was never charged with a crime, but was deported due to her family links to terrorism.

Sep 12, 2026

Trump administration announces first-ever deportation from terrorist removal court

The Justice Department on Friday noted the removal of an Afghan woman in the first-ever Alien Terrorist Removal Court (ATRC) case, announcing the resolution on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, although the woman was deported last month. Nazira Haji Zada, a 47-year-old Afghan woman living in Fort Worth, Texas, was the first person to…

Sep 11, 2026

Afghan woman deported in first-ever "Alien Terrorist" court case, DOJ says

An Afghan national who was the first-ever case before the federal Alien Terrorist Removal Court has been deported, the Justice Department announced Friday. The big picture: The DOJ win before the previously dormant court could give the administration a path to remove people it links to terrorism while keeping much of its evidence secret, Axios previously reported. Driving the news: Chief Judge Joan Ericksen directed the removal of Nazira Haji Zada, a lawful permanent resident whom the government

Sep 11, 2026

First use of Alien Terrorist Removal Court sends Afghan woman back after Election Day ISIS plot: DOJ

Nazira Haji Zada admitted she was an "alien terrorist" in the first-ever use of a specialized federal court created 30 years ago by Congress after an ISIS Election Day plot.

Sep 11, 2026

Trump administration removes Afghan national in first use of Alien Terrorist Removal Court

The Justice Department confirmed the removal of an Afghan woman from the United States in the first completed case before a specialized terrorism court that Congress created 30 years ago but had never been used. Nazira Haji Zada, 47, conceded through her lawyers that she qualified as an “alien terrorist” and waived her right to […]

Sep 11, 2026