For the first time since Congress created it three decades ago, the federal government has used the Alien Terrorist Removal Court (ATRC) to remove an alien from the United States.
The Department of Justice announced that Nazira Haji Zada, a 47-year-old Afghan national who had been living in Fort Worth, Texas, was removed from the country after conceding that she qualified as an alien terrorist under federal law.
According to the DOJ, Zada supported her family members’ plans to carry out an ISIS-inspired mass shooting on Election Day in 2024. Her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, and son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, were arrested in October 2024 after purchasing firearms and ammunition from an undercover FBI employee for the planned attack.
Court documents cited by the DOJ show the plot was extensive. Tawhedi admitted to conspiring to obtain two AK-47 rifles, 500 rounds of ammunition, and 10 magazines for a mass-casualty attack on or around Election Day.
The family also began selling its property, including vehicles, electronics, and furniture. Nazira Zada signed a contract to sell the family’s home, while family members purchased one-way tickets to Afghanistan shortly before Election Day.
Zada’s removal marks the first-ever case brought before the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, which Congress established in 1996 specifically to handle the removal of aliens determined to be terrorists.
The court issued its removal order on August 20. Zada has since been returned to her country of origin and is permanently inadmissible to the United States.
Meanwhile, her son Abdullah has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison and is subject to removal to Afghanistan following his sentence. Tawhedi has pleaded guilty to two terrorism-related offenses and is awaiting sentencing.
Texans for Strong Borders applauds the Trump DOJ for effectively using the ATRC for the first time in its 30-year history.