US deports Afghan legal resident Nazira Haji Zada in first-ever Alien Terrorist Removal Court case
The Justice Department deported Nazira Haji Zada, a 47-year-old Afghan lawful permanent resident living in Fort Worth, Texas, after she conceded to being an "alien terrorist" before the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, a tribunal created by Congress in 1996 but never previously used. Haji Zada was accused of supporting an ISIS-inspired mass shooting plot planned by her son and son-in-law for Election Day 2024; both men were convicted on terrorism charges. Her attorneys challenged the court's constitutionality and the use of classified evidence she could not review, but she agreed to deportation on August 20, 2026, and was removed to Afghanistan.
- CNNfirst
- Politico+1.9 h
- Reuters+4.1 h
- CBS News+6.7 h
- Washington Times+8.4 h
- Axios+8.6 h
- Washington Examiner+10.2 h
- The Hill+10.5 h
- Newsmax+10.7 h
- NPR+33.9 h
- Al Jazeera+34.4 h
- BBC+36.7 h
Broad agreement on what happened
Outlets across the spectrum land in roughly the same place: the shared language is highlighted.
“Justice Department secures deportation order in first-of-its-kind case brought in secretive court”CNN CNN LEFT
“DOJ boots Afghan woman in first Alien Terrorist Court deportation”WT Washington Times RIGHT
“DOJ avoids legal battle over secretive terrorism court” · Al Jazeera, Politico, BBC, Axios, The Hill, Reuters, Jerusalem Post