For the first time, the U.S. Department of Justice used an uncommon special court to seek the deportation of a legal U.S. resident to Afghanistan. Nazira Haji Zada, 47, admitted to being an “alien terrorist,” according to court records.

Haji Zada, originally from Afghanistan, was accused of supporting a plot by her son and son-in-law to carry out an Islamic State-inspired mass shooting on Election Day in 2024. Both men have been charged and face deportation after prison. Her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, 19, received a 15-year prison sentence.

Arrested in July in Fort Worth, Texas, Haji Zada faced civil proceedings in the Alien Terrorist Removal Court. This secretive court uses a lower standard of proof to deport individuals. Established by Congress in 1996, the court allows the DOJ to use classified evidence, deemed risky to national security, for deportations. In court documents dated Aug. 20, Haji Zada waived her rights to challenge her detention and agreed to deportation. Senior U.S. District Judge Joan Ericksen ordered her removal the same day. Her admission cannot be used in future criminal proceedings.

Haji Zada’s lawyers, Matthew Farley and Mary Manning Petras, contested the constitutionality of the case. They argued they were not allowed to review evidence, which remains classified due to national security risks. Their statement declared, “Dragging lawful permanent residents into court but refusing to show them or their attorneys the evidence that will be used against them is a plain violation of due process.” They expressed confidence that the court would be deemed unconstitutional upon further judicial review.

Haji Zada moved to the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident in 2018. Her husband had worked at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan from 2009 to 2016. The U.S. government accused Haji Zada of working to radicalize her family and pledging loyalty to ISIS. Allegedly, she and her son-in-law indoctrinated her children with ISIS ideology. Additionally, they were accused of raising funds for the planned attack by selling possessions and signing a contract to sell their home to move to an ISIS-controlled area. Her son and son-in-law planned to remain and execute the attack.

Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, her son-in-law, admitted conspiring to purchase weapons for the planned attack. Court records show Tawhedi, between June and October 2024, conspired with at least one other person to buy AK-47 rifles, ammunition, and magazines, aiming for a mass-casualty attack. He discussed his firearm purchase plans with an ISIS facilitator. Tawhedi pleaded guilty to two terrorism-related charges.

Attorney General Todd Blanche approved the government’s application for the case. He emphasized the importance of the case, stating, “This landmark case, resulting in the prompt removal of this alien terrorist to her country of origin, is a win for national security and the rule of law.”