Afghan woman deported from US in first use of 'alien terrorist' court
The legal US resident was never charged with a crime, but was deported due to her family links to terrorism.
An Afghan woman living in Texas with legal US permanent residency has been deported from the country in the first-ever use of a secretive court.
Nazira Haji Zada, 47, chose to leave the US rather than continue to argue her case before the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, according to the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and her lawyers.
The Alien Terrorist Removal Court was created in 1996, but had never heard a case before the proceedings in July. It is meant for non-US citizens facing terrorism-related charges when the evidence is confidential and related to national security.
Haji Zada, who has been living in Fort Worth, Texas, was accused by prosecutors of being the "matriarch" of the group, who had worked "to radicalize the family".