For nearly thirty years, Congress’s Alien Terrorist Removal Court sat unused, a legal tool built for exactly this kind of case but never invoked by any administration. That changed this month, when the Department of Homeland Security announced the removal of an Afghan national who supported her family’s plot to carry out an ISIS-inspired mass shooting on Election Day 2024.

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From the Department of Homeland Security:

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the following statement after Nazira Haji Zada, 47, an Afghan national previously residing in Fort Worth, Texas, was removed from the United States after conceding that she is an alien terrorist in the first-ever case before the United States Alien Terrorist Removal Court (ATRC).

As the matriarch in her family, she supported a plot to commit an ISIS-inspired mass shooting on Election Day in 2024 for which her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, and son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, were previously arrested and convicted. The ATRC issued an order of removal on August 20 that was unsealed earlier today following her return to her country of origin. This was the first case ever brought before the ATRC, which Congress established decades ago, and which no previous administration had used. Zada is now permanently inadmissible to the United States.

The application to remove Zada, certified by Attorney General Todd Blanche, was filed on July 15, and Zada appeared in open court for the first time on July 30. ATRC Chief Judge Joan N. Ericksen presided over that hearing and later signed the removal order. In compliance with the ATRC statute, the government used classified information to establish that Zada is an alien terrorist. Additionally, the government provided Zada and her lawyers, two federal public defenders, with approximately half a terabyte of documents supporting the government’s case. With her lawyers, Zada conceded that she is an alien terrorist and waived appeal of the removal order, terminating her previous status.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin framed the case as the fulfillment of a promise the administration made from its first day. He said the president’s direction to use the Alien Terrorist Removal Court to expel Zada, who plotted with family members to carry out an ISIS-inspired attack on American soil, delivers on that commitment, and credited coordinated work across the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, and State. He said those who plot terrorism against the United States have no place in the country and that the government will find and remove them.

Attorney General Todd Blanche called the case a win for national security and the rule of law, saying those who support or condone terrorism should not be living in the United States and that the case shows the department will use every tool at its disposal. FBI Director Kash Patel described the outcome as historic, saying Zada betrayed the country that hosted her and has now lost the right to live here and enjoy its democratic freedoms. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said Zada abused the nation’s hospitality and represented a clear threat to national security, adding that the country is safer with her sons in custody and her deported. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the government will secure the border and use every tool to stop those who intend harm from entering or remaining in the country.

The case traces back to Zada’s son and son-in-law. Abdullah Haji Zada and Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi were arrested on Oct. 7, 2024, after purchasing firearms and ammunition from an undercover FBI employee for a planned Election Day attack. Abdullah, who was 17 at the time of his arrest, was tried as an adult, sentenced to 15 years in prison, and stipulated as part of his plea agreement to a judicial order of removal to Afghanistan upon completing his sentence, waiving his right to appeal or seek relief such as asylum. Tawhedi, 28, pleaded guilty in June 2025 to conspiring to provide material support to ISIS and to receiving firearms and ammunition in furtherance of a federal crime of terrorism, and he is awaiting sentencing.

Court documents describe a plot that unfolded over several months. Between June and October 2024, Tawhedi conspired with at least one other individual to purchase two AK-47 rifles, 500 rounds of ammunition, and 10 magazines, intending a mass-casualty attack around Election Day on behalf of ISIS. A criminal complaint affidavit states Tawhedi communicated with an ISIS facilitator about the plan, at one point asking whether 500 rounds would be enough. To raise money, the family began selling off property in 2024, including furniture, computers, a mobile phone, and both family vehicles, and Zada signed a contract to sell the family home. The family also purchased one-way tickets to Kabul for several members, including Zada and other minor children, though notably not for Abdullah or Tawhedi.

The case involved coordination across multiple federal agencies, including the Justice Department’s National Security Division, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Hayden O’Byrne led the litigation, with assistance from Deputy Chief Larry Schneider and Trial Attorneys Anna Donnell, Garrett Coyle, and Evan Schultz.

The Zada case is part of a broader push by DHS to tighten enforcement across the immigration system, not only against violent threats but against fraud within the asylum process itself. A separate DHS effort disclosed this week targets immigration attorneys accused of filing what the department calls meritless or fraudulent asylum claims, an issue officials say has helped drive an enormous backlog in the courts. As of July 2026, immigration courts had nearly 3.5 million pending cases, including roughly 2.3 million pending asylum claims, according to DHS figures.

In a letter to immigration attorneys, DHS warned that claims based on generalized gang violence, domestic abuse, economic hardship, or similarly broad conditions may not meet the legal threshold required for asylum under federal law. The department cited penalties available under federal statute for document fraud, along with attorney discipline rules that allow regulators to sanction lawyers who knowingly submit false or unsupported claims on behalf of clients.

Homeland Security Investigations has already moved against individual attorneys accused of abusing the system. The agency announced a proposed fine of more than $470,000 against attorney Suraj Raj Singh, alleging he submitted 118 fraudulent documents across 54 cases. In a separate action, HSI sought a maximum fine of $255,232 against attorney Vinod Doddamani, alleging 64 fraudulent documents tied to 32 cases.

Taken together, the Zada removal and the crackdown on fraudulent asylum filings reflect the same underlying priority for the department: closing gaps in the immigration system that officials say have been exploited, whether by those plotting violence or by those gaming the legal process to remain in the country improperly. The American Immigration Lawyers Association did not respond to a request for comment on the attorney fraud allegations before the Daily Caller’s report was published.

Scripture calls governing authorities to bear the sword against evil and to protect the innocent from those who would do them harm (Romans 13:4). A mother who supported her own son’s plan to slaughter American voters on Election Day, then arranged to flee the country before the attack, represents a betrayal not only of the nation that welcomed her but of the basic obligations of family to steer children away from evil rather than toward it. The activation of a dormant court, built decades ago but never used, alongside a parallel effort to root out fraud in the asylum system, is a reminder that good laws are only as effective as the will to enforce them. As intercessors, we can be grateful for protection from a mass-casualty attack that was stopped before it happened, and should pray for wisdom for those charged with identifying and removing threats, for justice to be applied fairly to the innocent and guilty alike, and for the integrity of a system meant to offer refuge to those who truly need it. Above all, we can trust that no plot against the innocent escapes the notice of a God who sees what is done in secret.

How are you praying about this issue? Share your prayers and scriptures in the comments below.

(Excerpt from the Department of Homeland Security and extra sourcing from the Daily Caller. Photo Credit: Mark Stebnicki/ pexels).