US deports Afghan woman after first hearing in Alien Terrorist Removal Court
The United States deported 47-year-old Nazira Haji Zada to Afghanistan. She had lawful permanent resident status in the US and lived in Fort Worth, Texas. Her case became the first to be heard by the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, MyJoyOnline reports.
According to the US Department of Justice and the woman’s lawyers, Haji Zada decided to leave the country rather than continue fighting her case in that court. The Justice Department said she admitted to being an alien terrorist, waived an appeal of the removal order, and her previous immigration status was terminated.
First use of the court
The Alien Terrorist Removal Court was established in 1996, but had not considered any cases before the hearing in July. It is intended for proceedings involving non-US citizens accused of terrorist activity when the evidence is classified and related to national security.
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Haji Zada was not charged with a crime. At the same time, prosecutors called her the group’s “matriarch” and claimed that she contributed to the radicalization of her family.
Defense position
Nazira Haji Zada’s son, Abdullah Haji Zada, and her son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, were found guilty of conspiracy to carry out a mass shooting on Election Day in 2024. According to the source, the plot was inspired by the group calling itself the “Islamic State.”
Haji Zada’s court-appointed attorneys, Matthew Farley and Mary Manning Petras, said they were not granted access to the evidence in the case. The defense believes that hearing cases involving lawful permanent residents without allowing them and their lawyers access to the evidence violates the constitutional right to due process.
