US carries out first deportation under rarely used terrorist removal court

The United States Justice Department has secured the first deportation ever carried out through the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, a rarely used tribunal activated by the Trump administration this summer for the first time since its creation, according to Sahara Reporters.

Nazira Haji Zada, an Afghan woman accused of helping her son and son-in-law plan a foiled 2024 terror plot, was deported to Afghanistan after conceding she qualified as an “alien terrorist,” newly unsealed court filings showed.

Her legal team had earlier signalled plans to challenge the court’s constitutionality on due-process grounds, but by August 20 struck a deal with the DOJ, waiving her right to appeal.

Attorney General Todd Blanche called the case a win for national security, further stating that the department would use every available tool against those who support terrorism.

Legal experts, meanwhile, have questioned why the administration chose this case to test the court’s untested constitutionality.