Nazira Haji Zada Challenges 30-Year-Old Terror Deportation Court as Judge Scrutinizes Secret Evidence
Updated
Updated · CNN · Jul 30
Nazira Haji Zada Challenges 30-Year-Old Terror Deportation Court as Judge Scrutinizes Secret Evidence
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Jul 30
Summary
A 45-minute first public hearing in the Alien Terrorist Removal Court opened with Nazira Haji Zada’s lawyers arguing the tribunal is unconstitutional and violates due process.
Judge Joan Ericksen denied immediate release for the 47-year-old Texas resident but said the constitutional claims and secrecy disputes will be briefed, potentially setting up years of litigation.
The judge also pressed DOJ to justify each withheld item individually, rejecting any blanket national-security rationale for keeping evidence from Zada, the public and possibly even her special cleared attorney.
Congress created the court in 1996 to handle deportation cases involving classified evidence, but the Trump administration is the first to use it, in a case tied to a foiled 2024 Election Day ISIS-inspired plot involving Zada’s son and son-in-law.
What precedent does the activation of this special deportation court set for future national security and immigration cases?
How does a 30-year-old dormant court balance national security with a defendant's right to face secret evidence?
Can a mother face deportation solely for allegedly indoctrinating her convicted children without any criminal charges of her own?
The First Use of the Alien Terrorist Removal Court: Secret Evidence, the 2026 Nazira Haji Zada Case, and the Future of Civil Liberties in U.S. Immigration Law
Overview
In July 2026, the Trump administration made history by activating the long-dormant Alien Terrorist Removal Court (ATRC) to seek the deportation of Nazira Haji Zada, an Afghan woman accused of supporting an ISIS-inspired plot targeting the 2024 U.S. election. This move followed years of legal and constitutional concerns about the court’s use of secret evidence and came after federal courts blocked other hardline immigration policies. The ATRC’s activation, combined with travel bans and stalled asylum processing, has created deep fear among Afghan evacuees and immigrants, signaling a dramatic shift in U.S. immigration enforcement and raising serious civil liberties questions.