A federal judge has refused to dismiss a deportation case against Nazira Haji Zada, an Afghan woman who is the first person to face proceedings under the Trump administration's activation of the Alien Terrorist Removal Court. The court, established in 1996, had never received a petition until this month when the Justice Department filed an application seeking Zada's removal.
During the court's first public hearing Thursday, Zada's attorney, Matthew Farley, argued that the process violates her constitutional rights and urged the chief judge, Joan Ericksen, to dismiss the case and release his client. Farley, an assistant federal public defender, stated that the entire scheme is in violation of due process and is unconstitutional. Judge Ericksen denied Farley's requests but indicated that Zada's legal team could renew them as the case progresses.
The Justice Department classifies individuals brought before the Alien Terrorist Removal Court as "alien terrorists." Zada is not facing criminal charges. FBI agents arrested her Tuesday at her home in Fort Worth, Texas.
An FBI memo from July 15 states that the agency "developed information" suggesting Zada supports the Islamic State group and had her children pledge loyalty to the organization. The memo also alleges she "supported" a plot by relatives to carry out an ISIS-inspired attack in the United States. Court filings identify Zada as the mother and mother-in-law of two Afghan men previously convicted in Oklahoma for their roles in a 2024 Election Day plot. Her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, was sentenced to 15 years in prison in November and has agreed to be removed from the U.S. after his release.