Alien Terrorist Removal is in the news because the US Alien Terrorist Removal Court has been used for the first time, in a case that resulted in Nazira Haji Zada’s deportation to Afghanistan. Zada is an Afghan woman who was a lawful permanent resident of the United States. The court was created in 1996, but had never been used before her case.
The coverage highlights both the court’s first-ever case and Zada’s legal status before her removal. NPR Politics reports that she conceded to being an “alien terrorist.” In plain English, this is drawing attention because a court that had existed since 1996 without being used has now handled a deportation case, and the person deported had been legally living in the United States.
