Secret Terror Court Activated – First Ever

In a first-ever use of a secretive terrorism court, the Justice Department deported a lawful U.S. resident to Afghanistan after she conceded she was an “alien terrorist.”

Story Snapshot

The Justice Department used the Alien Terrorist Removal Court for the first time to remove Nazira Haji Zada.
Officials said she supported an Islamic State-inspired plan tied to an Election Day shooting plot.
Zada conceded she was an alien terrorist and waived appeal before removal, court papers show.
Congress created the court in 1996 to handle removal cases involving classified evidence.

What The Government Did And Why It Matters

The Justice Department said it activated the Alien Terrorist Removal Court to remove Nazira Haji Zada, an Afghan national and lawful permanent resident living in Texas, in a case linked to an Islamic State-inspired plot from 2024. The department reported that Zada conceded she was an alien terrorist and waived her appeal rights, and the court then issued an order of removal. The case marks the first time this court has been used since Congress created it in 1996 to manage sensitive national security removals.

Officials said Zada supported family members who planned an Election Day shooting, which prosecutors described in filings to justify using the special court. The Justice Department stated it gave defense counsel a large volume of material, including roughly half a terabyte of documents, to support its case. After the concession, the court’s order cleared the way for deportation to Afghanistan. This outcome shows how national security tools can move fast once the government clears the legal threshold.

How The Alien Terrorist Removal Court Works

Congress set up the Alien Terrorist Removal Court so judges can hear removal applications where classified evidence is central and cannot be shown in full in normal immigration court. The statute authorizes the Attorney General to file an application, and judges can review classified information while requiring an unclassified summary for the defense when possible. The court can order removal if the government proves by a preponderance of the evidence that the person qualifies as an alien terrorist under federal law.

Federal records explain that the Chief Justice designates five district judges to serve on this court, which sits as needed. The design aims to protect sources and methods without dropping cases that hinge on secret intelligence. Supporters argue this protects the public while honoring due process through summaries and court oversight. Critics in past debates warned that secrecy can strain fairness if defense teams cannot fully test the claims, which is a recurring tension in terrorism and immigration law.

Why This First Case Feels Bigger Than One Removal

Journalistic accounts highlighted the historic nature of the action and its speed once the court convened this summer. The move fits a larger pattern in national security: when the government uses tools built for secrecy, the public record can grow thin as stakes rise. That trade-off has appeared across many cases over decades. In this instance, the decisive point was Zada’s concession in court, which ended the case with a removal order and closed a 30-year gap in the court’s use.

The U.S. has carried out the first-ever deportation through the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, a specialized federal court created by Congress in 1996 but never previously used.

Afghan national Nazira Haji Zada, 47, was deported after conceding she was an “alien terrorist. pic.twitter.com/XXUrX2icVo

— Thomas Donny (@23566s) September 13, 2026

For readers left and right, the stakes are clear. People want safety and honest courts. They also want fair process that does not hide too much from the people. This case shows Washington reaching for a little-known lever to act on a threat claim while guarding intelligence. The law allows that path. The question for the country is how often to use it, how to keep it narrow, and how to show enough to earn trust without exposing secrets.