US Uses ‘Foreign Terrorist’ Court For First Time, Orders Afghan Woman’s Deportation
Mian Nadeem
Published September 13, 2026 | 07:33 PM
An Afghan woman, Nazira Haji Zada, a permanent resident of Texas, has been deported to her home country by the US government, marking the first time the nation has used a special court for such a case. This deportation was carried out under the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, established in 1996 to handle cases involving non-US citizens accused of terrorism-related offenses that concern national security or classified information.
Before Haji Zada’s case in July, the court had never heard a case. US officials stated that while Haji Zada herself was not accused of any crime, her son Abdullah Haji Zada and son-in-law Nasir Ahmad Tauheed were convicted of planning a mass shooting on Election Day in 2024, allegedly inspired by the ideology of the group calling itself the Islamic State.
Prosecutors accused Haji Zada of being the head of her family and influencing them towards extremism. The US Department of Justice revealed that Haji Zada acknowledged herself as a "foreign terrorist" and waived her right to appeal the deportation order, leading to the termination of her previous immigration status.
US Attorney General Todd Blanche hailed the move as a victory for national security and the rule of law, asserting that those supporting or encouraging terrorism should not be permitted to remain in the United States.
However, court-appointed lawyers for Haji Zada fiercely opposed the court’s proceedings and procedures. They argued that they had been denied access to evidence against their client and claimed that bringing a lawful permanent resident before such a court while refusing to disclose the evidence used against her or her lawyers violated the right to due process guaranteed by the US Constitution.
The lawyers also emphasized that Haji Zada’s agreement to deportation should not be interpreted as an endorsement of the special court’s legality, suggesting that it may be declared unconstitutional when challenged before a judge.
