Trump Admin Activates Dormant ‘Alien Terrorist’ Court

Nazira Haji Zada, a 47-year-old resident of Fort Worth, Texas, is set to appear Thursday before the Alien Terrorist Removal Court in Washington, D.C. The proceeding represents a historic moment, as the specialized court has remained unused since Congress established it in 1996.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche described the case in stark terms, stating that the allegations show the matriarch of an ISIS-sympathizing family aiding in a plot to launch a mass casualty attack on American voters on Election Day, according to Kaelan Deese writing in Washington Examiner.

Federal authorities allege Haji Zada actively supported the Islamic State, swore allegiance to the terrorist organization, and played a central role in radicalizing members of her household. An unclassified FBI summary submitted to the court claims she worked to indoctrinate her children with ISIS ideology, drawing on information from what investigators characterized as a reliable source.

The document further alleges that Haji Zada collaborated with her son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, to radicalize the family while concealing their pro-ISIS activities and plans to relocate to territory controlled by the terrorist group from her husband, who reportedly remained unaware of the scheme.

Despite the serious allegations, Haji Zada has never faced terrorism charges and has no criminal record.

The removal proceedings stem from a wider FBI counterterrorism investigation that culminated in the October 2024 arrests of her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, and Tawhedi. The two men allegedly purchased two AK-47-style rifles and 500 rounds of ammunition from an undercover FBI operative in preparation for an Election Day attack intended to support the Islamic State.

Abdullah Haji Zada, who was 17 at the time of his arrest, subsequently pleaded guilty as an adult and received a 15-year prison sentence. He has agreed to deportation to Afghanistan following completion of his term. Tawhedi entered a guilty plea in June of last year to charges of attempting to provide material support to ISIS, along with related firearms violations.

Court documents indicate the pair also intended to relocate female relatives and minors in the family, including Nazira Haji Zada herself, to ISIS-held areas of Afghanistan.

The Alien Terrorist Removal Court was created under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 for situations where the government requires classified national security evidence to justify deportation of a foreign national.

The tribunal functions differently from standard immigration courts. It permits judges to examine classified material during closed sessions while providing defendants only an unclassified summary of the accusations against them.

The five-judge panel, whose members receive appointments from the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, operates on a model similar to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Before any public hearing can take place, the Attorney General must certify the government’s application, and a judge must determine probable cause that the respondent qualifies as an “alien terrorist” under federal statute.

Official records show Blanche certified the application on June 30, with prosecutors filing the historic case on July 15. Chief Judge Joan Ericksen, a federal jurist from Minnesota, initially directed the Justice Department to provide additional legal arguments before ultimately finding probable cause to advance the proceedings.

Haji Zada obtained permanent residency in 2018 following her husband’s receipt of a green card through a program designed for Afghan allies who supported U.S. forces. Her husband had worked at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.

Thursday’s hearing will serve as the inaugural public test of a tribunal that has existed only in statutory form for nearly three decades, potentially establishing precedent for how the government employs the court in future terrorism-related deportation matters.

With information from Washington Examiner