Secretive terrorist removal court set for first hearing in Afghan woman’s case
CNN • • nation
Key Points:
- The Trump administration is initiating the first-ever hearing of the Alien Terrorist Removal Court (ATRC), a secretive deportation court established 30 years ago but never used, to consider deporting Nazira Haji Zada, an Afghan mother accused of ISIS sympathies.
- The Justice Department alleges Zada indoctrinated her children with ISIS ideology, despite her having no criminal history, and is seeking her deportation based on classified information related to national security.
- The initial status hearing will be public, but much of the DOJ’s evidence will remain classified and inaccessible to Zada, raising constitutional concerns about the fairness and transparency of the proceedings.
- The ATRC is composed of five U.S. district court judges, operating within the judicial branch to ensure greater independence compared to typical immigration judges; Chief Judge Joan Ericksen is presiding over this inaugural case.
