Afghan Woman Deported In First Use Of Secret U.S. Terror Court

According to the BBC, Nazira Haji Zada, an Afghan woman living in Texas with legal U.S. permanent residency, has been deported in the first-ever use of the Alien Terrorist Removal Court. The U.S. Department of Justice said Haji Zada, 47, chose to leave the United States rather than continue her case before the secretive court, which was created in 1996 but had never heard a case before proceedings in July. Lawyers for Haji Zada said the case violated her constitutional right to due process and said they were denied access to the evidence. The justice department said she conceded that she was an alien terrorist and waived appeal of the removal order, ending her immigration status. U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche called the case a win for national security and the rule of law. Prosecutors had not charged Haji Zada with a crime, but her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, and son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhed, were convicted of plotting a mass shooting on Election Day in 2024 inspired by Islamic State.