Resurrected Alien Terrorist Removal court to have its first hearing to deport Texas woman, allegedly the ‘matriarch of an ISIS-sympathizing family’

The Alien Terrorist Removal Court is set to convene for its first-ever hearing, marking a significant and unprecedented move by the Trump administration. This obscure legal body, which has remained dormant for 30 years since its creation, will hold its first proceedings in a federal courthouse in Washington, D.C. It will also be the first time the government has filed a petition under this specific legal framework.

CNN reported that according to court documents, the Justice Department is seeking the deportation os Nazira Haji Zada, a woman currently residing in Fort Worth, Texas. The Justice Department alleged that she “worked to indoctrinate her children with ISIS ideology and have them pledge loyalty to ISIS.” Per the Associated Press, an FBI memo dated July 15 detailed that they “developed information” that Nazira is an ISIS supporter who had her children pledge their loyalty to the group. 

The memo reportedly states that Nazira “supported” a plot by relatives to carry out an ISIS-inspired attack in the U.S. Court filings state that Nazira has no criminal record but identify her as the mother and mother-in-law of two Afghan men who were previously convicted in Oklahoma for their roles in a plot targeting the 2024 Election, Abdullah Haji Zada and Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi.

A classified case that bridges executive and criminal courts

Per AP,  Abdullah Haji Zada, was sentenced last November to 15 years in prison. Records show he previously agreed to be removed from the country after his prison term concludes. Nazira’s son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, had previously worked as a security guard for an American military installation in Afghanistan. 

He reportedly pleaded guilty to conspiring and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State group. Prosecutors have stated that he took specific steps to advance these attack plans, which included ordering AK-47 rifles, liquidating his family’s assets, and purchasing one-way tickets for his wife and child to travel home to Afghanistan.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized the administration’s stance on the matter in a recent statement to the Associated Press. “Congress created the Alien Terrorist Removal Court three decades ago to remove from the United States alien terrorists who never should have been here in the first place,” Blanche said.

“The allegations in this case show the matriarch of an ISIS-sympathizing family aiding in a plot to launch a mass casualty attack on American voters on Election Day. The Department’s application in this court makes clear that terrorists have no place in the United States of America,” Blanche added.

According to CNN, the initial status hearing will be public, but many details of the case will remain classified, even from Nazira. “The underlying information is classified because disclosure would enable terrorists and terrorist organizations to avoid preventative or detection measures or would reveal FBI or other U.S. Intelligence Community sources and methods by which such information is obtained,” the DOJ said in the unclassified summary.

CNN noted that this limited access has led some legal observers to question the court’s constitutionality. The ATRC recieved it’s first application after a 2025 case where Judge James Boasberg issued an order to halt Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act. Additionally, the structure of this court is quite distinct from standard immigration proceedings. 

The Alien Terrorist Removal Court is reportedly composed of five U.S. district court judges appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Because these judges fall under the judicial branch, they act as more independent arbiters than the executive branch immigration judges typically seen in deportation cases. Chief Judge Joan Ericksen is currently reviewing this specific case.

According to the court order unsealed Wednesday night, the judge granted the DOJ’s initial application for the case to move forward based on a probable cause standard. CNN reported that if the case proceeds to the next phase, the DOJ will be required to meet a higher bar of evidence, known as the preponderance of the evidence standard. 

According to the outlet, that remains lower than the beyond-reasonable-doubt standard required in criminal cases. It is a complex situation that highlights the specific, and rarely invoked, powers granted to this court under the 1996 law.