The Trump administration made history by activating a dormant terror deportation court for the first time in 30 years, removing an Afghan woman who supported her sons’ plan to execute an ISIS-inspired mass shooting on Election Day 2024.

Historic Use of Specialized Terror Court

The Department of Justice filed its first-ever application before the United States Alien Terrorist Removal Court in July, targeting 47-year-old Nazira Haji Zada of Fort Worth, Texas. The specialized court, established by Congress nearly three decades ago but never used until now, allows the government to deport suspected terrorists using classified evidence through a unique judicial process. Legal scholars had dubbed it a “zombie court” due to its complete dormancy since creation.

Attorney General Todd Blanche submitted the application on July 15. Chief Judge Joan Ericksen, appointed by President George W. Bush, presided over the hearing and signed the removal order on August 20. The order was unsealed Friday, and Zada has since been deported to Afghanistan. She is now permanently barred from entering the United States.

Family Plot to Attack Election Day Voters

Zada conceded to supporting a terror plot orchestrated by her son Abdullah Haji Zada and son-in-law Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi. According to court documents, the family began liquidating assets throughout 2024, selling furniture, computers, mobile phones, and two vehicles to finance the attack. Tawhedi admitted conspiring to purchase two AK-47 rifles, 500 rounds of ammunition, and 10 magazines for a mass-casualty attack on behalf of ISIS around November 5, 2024.

The family signed a contract to sell their house and purchased one-way tickets to Kabul for family members excluding the two main conspirators, scheduled to depart shortly before Election Day. The DOJ provided Zada and her federal public defenders with approximately half a terabyte of documents supporting the government’s case, which relied partly on classified information to establish her status as an alien terrorist.

New Tool for National Security

Attorney General Blanche called the case a “landmark” achievement representing “a win for national security and the rule of law.” FBI Director Kash Patel described it as “a historic and vitally important step in our work to protect the U.S. homeland from terrorism.” The successful activation of this specialized court provides the Trump administration with a powerful new mechanism for removing terrorism suspects from American soil while protecting sensitive intelligence sources and methods.