Secretive US court meant to deport alleged terrorists hears first case

The secretive US Alien Terrorist Removal Court, established in 1996 to deport suspected terrorists using classified evidence, convened for its first hearing on Thursday. The case involves Nazira Haji Zada, a 47-year-old lawful permanent resident from Texas, accused of supporting Islamic State and concealing a failed 2024 Election Day mass shooting plot. Prosecutors allege much of the evidence against her is classified, and the Justice Department claims she indoctrinated her children with "ISIS ideology." Haji Zada's attorney, Matthew Farley, argued that "This entire scheme is in violation of due process and unconstitutional," and sought dismissal, which was denied. The court's chief judge, Joan Ericksen, presided over the hearing, which also addressed basic procedural questions due to its unprecedented nature. Haji Zada has not been criminally charged, though her son and son-in-law pleaded guilty to related charges last year.