Afghan woman deported in first use of US Alien Terrorist Removal Court

The Alien Terrorist Removal Court was created in 1996, but had never been used before Nazira Haji Zada’s case.

The US Department of Justice logo [File: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP]

An Afghan woman accused of supporting the ISIL (ISIS) armed group has been deported from the United States in the first case brought before an obscure and long-dormant court created 30 years ago to remove people classified by the government as “alien terrorists”.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Friday that Nazira Haji Zada was deported to Afghanistan after being brought before the Alien Terrorist Removal Court.

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The 47-year-old lawful permanent resident, who had been living in Fort Worth, Texas, was arrested in 2024. US Attorney General Todd Blanche filed the papers for her removal on July 15 this year. She waived her rights to challenge her detention and was subsequently deported to Afghanistan.

The DOJ accused Haji Zada of helping conceal an ISIL-inspired plot for a mass shooting in the US state of Oklahoma on election day in 2024. She was never charged with a crime, but her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, and son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, pleaded guilty to related charges.

The Alien Terrorist Removal Court was created by Congress in 1996 as part of a broader effort to combat international terrorism. It is a specialised US federal court made up of five judges serving staggered five-year terms. It allows the US government to submit classified information in cases where disclosure could threaten national security, while requiring an unclassified summary that the court determines is sufficient for the accused to prepare a defence. The government must prove with strong evidence that the person is an “alien terrorist”.

The defence said that bringing lawful permanent residents before a court while withholding the evidence against them violated due process and predicted the court would eventually be found unconstitutional.

DOJ officials described the deportation as a national security victory.

“Those who support and condone terrorism should not be living in the United States,” Attorney General Todd Blanche said, adding that the case showed the department would use “every tool at its disposal” to protect the country.

Haji Zada’s attorneys said her decision to consent to removal “should not be seen as an endorsement of this court’s legitimacy.”

“Dragging lawful permanent residents into court but refusing to show them or their attorneys the evidence that will be used against them is a plain violation of due process,” the defence lawyers said in a statement. “We are confident that the Alien Terrorist Removal Court will be struck down as unconstitutional as soon as a judge is asked to address the issue.”

It is unclear whether the DOJ would pursue additional cases through the previously unused court.

外国恐怖分子遣返法庭成立于 1996 年，但在纳齐拉·哈吉·扎达案之前从未启用过。

美国司法部标志 [图片：Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP]

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美国司法部（DOJ）周五宣布，纳齐拉·哈吉·扎达在被带到外国人恐怖分子遣返法庭后被遣返回阿富汗。

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美国司法部指控哈吉·扎达协助掩盖了受“伊斯兰国”启发、计划于2024年美国大选日在俄克拉荷马州发动大规模枪击的阴谋。她本人从未被指控犯罪，但她的儿子阿卜杜拉·哈吉·扎达和女婿纳西尔·艾哈迈德·陶赫迪对相关指控认罪。

美国国会于1996年设立了“外国恐怖分子遣返法庭”，作为打击国际恐怖主义的更广泛举措的一部分。该法庭是美国联邦专门法院，由五名法官组成，任期五年，交错轮换。它允许美国政府在信息披露可能威胁国家安全的案件中提交机密信息，同时要求提供一份非机密摘要，法院认为该摘要足以让被告准备辩护。政府必须提供强有力的证据证明该人是“外国恐怖分子”。

辩方表示，在不提供针对合法永久居民的证据的情况下，将他们带到法庭上违反了正当程序，并预测该法庭最终将被认定为违宪。

美国司法部官员称此次驱逐行动是国家安全的胜利。

“那些支持和纵容恐怖主义的人不应该生活在美国，”司法部长托德·布兰奇说，并补充说，此案表明司法部将动用“一切可用手段”来保护国家。

哈吉·扎达的律师表示，她同意被驱逐出境的决定“不应被视为对该法院合法性的认可”。

辩护律师在一份声明中表示：“将合法永久居民拖上法庭，却拒绝向他们或其律师出示将要用作指控他们的证据，这显然违反了正当程序。我们相信，一旦法官被要求处理这个问题，遣返恐怖分子法庭就会被裁定违宪。”

目前尚不清楚司法部是否会通过这个之前未使用过的法庭提起其他案件。