For the first time, the Justice Department utilized a decades-old, previously unused special court to deport a lawful U.S. resident to Afghanistan after she conceded to being an alien terrorist, according to court records. Prosecutors stated that 47-year-old Nazira Haji Zada, originally from Afghanistan, supported a plan by her son and son-in-law to execute an Islamic State-inspired mass shooting on Election Day in 2024. Both men have already been charged, with her son, 19-year-old Abdullah Haji Zada, sentenced to 15 years in prison, and both will be deported following their release. Arrested in July at her home in Fort Worth, Texas, Haji Zada faced civil proceedings initiated by Justice Department leaders rather than criminal charges. The Alien Terrorist Removal Court, established by Congress in 1996, permits a lower standard of proof and allows the Department of Justice to rely on classified national security evidence to deport individuals. In unsealed filings dated August 20, Haji Zada waived her right to contest detention and agreed to deportation, leading Senior U.S. District Judge Joan Ericksen to order her removal the same day, with the documents made public on Friday. Court-appointed attorneys Matthew Farley and Mary Manning Petras challenged the constitutionality of the proceedings, noting they were barred from reviewing the classified evidence. In a joint statement, her attorneys emphasized that her consent to removal should not validate the court’s legitimacy, calling the process a clear violation of due process and expressing confidence that the court will eventually be struck down as unconstitutional. Haji Zada immigrated to the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident in 2018, while her husband worked at Bagram Air Base from 2009 to 2016. Authorities alleged she served as the family matriarch, pledged loyalty to ISIS, and worked alongside her son-in-law to indoctrinate her children. Prosecutors added that the family raised funds for the attack by selling furniture, computers, a phone, two vehicles, and their home, intending to relocate female and young male family members to an ISIS-controlled area while leaving the son and son-in-law behind to carry out the shooting. Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, her 28-year-old son-in-law, pleaded guilty to two terrorism-related charges after admitting he conspired to purchase two AK-47 rifles and 500 rounds of ammunition for the plot. Attorney General Todd Blanche approved the government application, stating that the landmark case demonstrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to protecting the nation and upholding the rule of law.
Source: npr.org
