{
  "id": 6767625,
  "title": "Afghan woman dubbed an \"alien terrorist\" deported in obscure court's first case",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/afghan-woman-dubbed-an-alien-terrorist-deported-in-obscure-courts",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-11T15:17:59.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "CBS News",
    "slug": "cbs-news",
    "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/afghan-woman-deported-doj-alien-terrorist-removal-court/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Friday, the Justice Department announced the deportation of Nazira Haji Zada, a 47-year-old Afghan permanent resident from Texas, who had been labeled an \"alien terrorist\" by the government, marking the first of its kind in the Alien Terrorist Removal Court. Zada chose to leave the United States rather than continue the legal battle in the court. Established in 1996, the court's purpose was to allow the removal of noncitizens whose cases were classified for national security reasons, preventing them from being reviewed by public defenders. The court's secretive nature bars targets, including legal permanent residents, from accessing classified evidence against them and prevents them from challenging the evidence collection methods. Haji Zada, who has never faced criminal charges, had her son, Abdullah, and son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, prosecuted and convicted for an alleged ISIS-inspired mass shooting plot on Election Day in 2024. The government claimed Haji Zada facilitated her children's radicalization towards ISIS. She has now waived her right to appeal the removal order, thus terminating her prior status. The Justice Department has reportedly shared half a terabyte of documents supporting their claim of her alien terrorist status. Attorney General Todd Blanche lauded this case as a \"win for national security and the rule of law,\" stating that those who support terrorism have no place in the United States.",
  "summary": "An Afghan permanent resident living in Texas has been deported after the Justice Department accused her of being an \"alien terrorist,\" in the first such case of its kind.",
  "key_points": [
    "Nazira Haji Zada, 47, deported from Texas, labeled alien terrorist",
    "First case in Alien Terrorist Removal Court since 1996",
    "Son Abdullah and son-in-law Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi convicted for ISIS plot"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Mail and Guardian",
        "title": "Brown Mogotsi back in court as State continues to oppose bail",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/brown-mogotsi-back-in-court-as-state-continues-to-oppose-bail",
        "published": "2026-09-11T11:27:46.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Afghan woman whose case was the first for a long-dormant court has been deported, officials say",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/afghan-woman-whose-case-was-the-first-for-a-long-dormant-court-has",
        "published": "2026-09-11T14:30:42.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Hindustan Times - World News",
        "title": "Afghan woman accused of Islamic State plot deported from US in first case before secretive terror court",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/afghan-woman-accused-of-islamic-state-plot-deported-from-us-in-first",
        "published": "2026-09-11T17:15:10.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "PBS NewsHour",
        "title": "Afghan woman whose case was the first for a long-dormant court has been deported, officials say",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/afghan-woman-whose-case-was-the-first-for-a-long-dormant-court-has-6789041",
        "published": "2026-09-11T18:42:05.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al-Monitor",
        "title": "Afghan woman deported from US in first use of secretive terrorism court",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/afghan-woman-deported-from-us-in-first-use-of-secretive-terrorism",
        "published": "2026-09-11T19:46:36.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}