Back in 1996, Congress created something called the Alien Terrorist Removal Court. It was purpose built to handle deportation cases involving classified intelligence that was too sensitive for regular courtrooms. Then everyone promptly forgot it existed. Five presidential administrations walked right past it like that exercise bike you bought in January. Not a single case was ever filed. Zero. Zilch. Three decades of collecting cobwebs until the Trump DOJ finally cracked it open on July 15, as USA Journal reported. And on Thursday, it survived its very first constitutional challenge. The courthouse lights are officially on.
So who earned the honor of being defendant number one after 30 years of silence? That would be Nazira Haji Zada, a 47 year old lawful permanent resident from Afghanistan who was living in Fort Worth, Texas. Federal prosecutors say she was the ideological ringleader of an ISIS sympathizing family that allegedly planned to carry out a mass shooting targeting American voters on Election Day 2024. Let that sink in for a second.
Her son Abdullah and her son in law Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi already pleaded guilty. Abdullah was 17 when he got arrested and received 15 years as an adult. Tawhedi is still awaiting sentencing after admitting to conspiring to provide material support to ISIS and attempting to arm himself for a terrorism offense. The two were busted on October 7, 2024, exactly one year after the Hamas massacre that killed 1,200 Israelis, after they purchased two AK-47 style rifles and 500 rounds of ammo from an undercover FBI agent. The weapons were supposedly intended for attacking large crowds around Election Day.
Haji Zada herself never faced criminal charges. Instead, the government is going after her through a civil immigration proceeding, which is precisely what this dusty old court was designed for. Prosecutors allege she radicalized her children with ISIS ideology, hid it all from her husband, and helped the family prepare to flee to Afghanistan right after the planned attack. They reportedly sold furniture, computers, a phone, and two vehicles. They signed a contract to sell the family home. One way tickets to Kabul were purchased for her and several children for a date shortly before Election Day. That is not exactly subtle escape planning.
Chief Judge Joan Ericksen refused to toss the case and denied a request to spring Haji Zada from custody, giving the DOJ a significant early victory. The court did ask prosecutors to beef up their filing with a clearer connection to the specific terrorism provisions cited. They did, and the court found it satisfactory.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche pulled zero punches, calling the allegations evidence of "the matriarch of an ISIS sympathizing family aiding in a plot to launch a mass casualty attack." The defense team called the whole proceeding unconstitutional, basically a workaround to dodge criminal court. Judge Ericksen was not persuaded, though she left room for those arguments to resurface later.
So here we are. Congress built a courthouse three decades ago, and it took until now for someone to actually walk through the front door. The constitutional battles are just getting started, but Thursday proved one thing: the ATRC works, and the accused is currently sitting in custody in Washington D.C.
Read more conservative news commentary at: USA Journal News
