Secretive deportation court to hear Afghan mother's ISIS-linked case
The U.S. DOJ is moving to deport Nazira Haji Zada, the Afghan mother of a convicted ISIS-linked plotter, through the dormant Alien Terrorist Removal Court. The first hearing is scheduled in Washington, with limited public access under a 1996 law; the court is staffed by five federal judges and uses a lower standard of proof than criminal trials. Critics question the ATRC’s constitutionality, while DOJ argues the mechanism is necessary for national security.