Afghan woman whose case was the first for a long-dormant court has been deported, officials say

An Afghan permanent resident living in Texas has been deported after the Justice Department accused her of being an "alien terrorist," in the first such case of its kind. The Justice Department says an Afghan woman who was accused of supporting an Islamic State-inspired plot in the United States and whose case was the first for an obscure and long-dormant court has been deported Nazira Haji Zada, accused of backing a Daesh-inspired plot, has been deported after waiving her rights, potentially avoiding a long legal battle.

WASHINGTON (AP) — An Afghan woman who was accused of supporting an Islamic State-inspired plot in the United States and whose case was the first for an obscure and long-dormant court has been deported, the Justice Department said Friday. On Friday, the department said that she had waived her rights to challenge her detention and had agreed to be deported.It wasn't immediately clear when or to where she was deported.Haji Zada’s attorneys said her decision to consent to removal “should not be seen as an endorsement of this court’s legitimacy.”“Dragging lawful permanent residents into court but refusing to show them or their attorneys the evidence that will be used against them is a plain violation of due process,” the defense lawyers said in a statement Friday. “We are confident that the Alien Terrorist Removal Court will be struck down as unconstitutional as soon as a judge is asked to address the issue.”The swift resolution averts what could have been a protracted legal fight testing the authority of the court, which was established in 1996 but until July had not received any petitions, as well as the strength of allegations against Haji Zada.Attorney General Todd Blanche said the case’s outcome is “a win for national security and the rule of law.”“Those who support and condone terrorism should not be living in the United States, and this first-ever case before the (court) shows how the Department will use every tool at its disposal to protect our country,” Blanche said in a statement.The Justice Department has described Haji Zada as a supporter of the Islamic State and identified her at the time as the mother and mother-in-law of two Afghan men who were convicted in Oklahoma of plotting an attack in the U.S.

The plans were foiled before any attack took place.Her lawyers at the time of the deportation had been pressing the court to force the Justice Department to share information and other evidence to support the allegations in the case.The court has specific authority to conduct deportation proceedings for people whom the Justice Department classifies as “alien terrorists.” The court is composed of five federal judges from different districts a…