Afghan Woman Deported After First Case Before Alien Terrorist Removal Court
An Afghan woman, Nazira Haji Zada, 47, has been deported to Afghanistan after her case became the first ever heard by the long-dormant Alien Terrorist Removal Court. Haji Zada was arrested in July at her Fort Worth home and accused of supporting an Islamic State-inspired plot in the United States. The Justice Department described her as a supporter of the Islamic State and identified her as the mother and mother-in-law of two Afghan men convicted in Oklahoma for plotting an attack in the U.S. on election day in 2024, which was foiled. Haji Zada waived her rights to challenge her detention and agreed to deportation, a decision her attorneys stated should not be seen as an endorsement of the court's legitimacy, citing concerns about due process due to reliance on secret evidence.
