The Trump administration has filed a historic petition in a specialized federal court, seeking the deportation of an Afghan woman accused of aiding an Islamic State-inspired terror plot in the U.S. The Alien Terrorist Removal Court, created in 1996, has not seen a case in three decades.
Nazira Haji Zada, a resident of Fort Worth, Texas, is the first person to face deportation through the court after her arrest earlier this week. The court is scheduled to hold an initial hearing on Thursday in Washington, D.C.
According to court records, the allegations against Haji Zada show she supported a plot by family members to carry out an ISIS-inspired attack in the U.S. The FBI memo dated July 15 revealed that authorities "developed information" that Haji Zada supports the Islamic State and had her children pledge their loyalty to the terrorist group.
The government's application in the Alien Terrorist Removal Court highlights the seriousness of the allegations, with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stating, "The allegations in this case show the matriarch of an ISIS-sympathizing family aiding in a plot to launch a mass casualty attack on American voters on Election Day. The Department's application in this court makes clear that terrorists have no place in the United States of America."
The Alien Terrorist Removal Court was created to remove from the United States alien terrorists who never should have been here in the first place. The court is made up of five federal judges from various districts across the country who are appointed by the Supreme Court's chief justice.
