Afghan woman deported via secret court after aiding terror plot
Justice Department uses 30-year-old Alien Terrorist Removal Court for first time to deport Nazira Haji Zada.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Afghan woman deported via secret court after aiding terror plot
Photograph: abc News (embedded from source)
What this story says
- The Justice Department deported Nazira Haji Zada, an Afghan woman, using the Alien Terrorist Removal Court.
- Haji Zada was accused of assisting her son and son-in-law in planning a foiled 2024 terror plot.
- The Alien Terrorist Removal Court, created 30 years ago, had not been used until the current administration activated it this summer.
- Haji Zada agreed to deportation, waiving her right to appeal, and was described by the Justice Department as a supporter of the Islamic State.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 19 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 2 of the 21 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
57/100
Hype
41/100
21 sources · methodology
The Justice Department announced the deportation of Nazira Haji Zada, an Afghan woman, through the Alien Terrorist Removal Court. Haji Zada was accused of assisting her son and son-in-law in planning a terror plot that was foiled in 2024. The Alien Terrorist Removal Court, established by Congress 30 years ago, is designed to deport accused terrorists while protecting national security secrets. This court had not been used prior to the current administration activating it this summer.
Haji Zada conceded that she was an alien terrorist and agreed to deportation, waiving her right to appeal. The Justice Department described her as a supporter of the Islamic State. The court's procedures allow the Justice Department to keep classified information hidden from the public and the individual facing deportation. Cases are heard by Article III judges.
Disagreement on deportation details
CNN reported that it was unclear whether legal questions challenging the constitutionality of the court were fully aired before the court approved Haji Zada’s deportation, as the public docket had gone quiet. ABC News stated that the swift resolution averted what could have been a protracted legal fight testing the court's authority and the allegations against Haji Zada.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated or centre-rated reports mentioned the specific age of Nazira Haji Zada. The full reports from KVIA and ABC News did not specify when or to where Haji Zada was deported, although ABC News stated it was not immediately clear.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 1 time, most recently on 11 Sept 2026, 16:30, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
8 rated outlets
- Left-rated reports highlighted that the deportation was a victory for President Donald Trump, as stated by CNN. They also noted that the Alien Terrorist Removal Court is a secretive tribunal that had never been used before the current administration activated it this summer. Several left-rated outlets, including The Record and The Toronto Star, used Associated Press wording stating the woman's case was the first for a long-dormant court. The Independent (US) and The Seattle Times also reported that the Justice Department said the woman was accused of supporting an Islamic State-inspired plot.
Centre
11 rated outlets
- Centre-rated reports, including those from KVIA and KEYT, also described the deportation as a victory for President Donald Trump and noted the secretive nature of the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, which had not been used before this summer. CBS News reported that the woman was dubbed an "alien terrorist" and that this was the Justice Department's first case using the obscure court. Several centre-rated outlets, such as My Mother Lode and WBAL, used Associated Press wording to state that the woman's case was the first for a long-dormant court. KVIA's full report included statements from Attorney General Todd Blanche calling the case a win for national security and FBI Director Kash Patel stating it was a "historic and vitally important step."
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Afghan woman deported via secret court after aiding terror plot?
- Of the 19 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 42% are rated left, 58% are rated centre, 0% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 21. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Afghan woman deported via secret court after aiding terror plot left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 19 rated outlets on this story, 42% are rated left, 58% are rated centre, 0% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of Afghan woman deported via secret court after aiding terror plot biased?
- Afghan woman deported via secret court after aiding terror plot is one event reported by 21 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which outlets covered Afghan woman deported via secret court after aiding terror plot?
- 21 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What is the Alien Terrorist Removal Court?
- The Alien Terrorist Removal Court is a secretive tribunal created by Congress 30 years ago. Its purpose is to deport accused terrorists while protecting national security secrets. It had not been used until the current administration activated it this summer.
- Who is Nazira Haji Zada?
- Nazira Haji Zada is an Afghan woman accused by the Justice Department of assisting her son and son-in-law in planning a foiled 2024 terror plot. The Justice Department described her as a supporter of the Islamic State. She agreed to deportation and waived her right to appeal.
- Why was this deportation significant?
- This deportation was significant because it was the first case to use the Alien Terrorist Removal Court. This court, established three decades ago, had remained unused until the current administration activated it this summer to remove Haji Zada.
Read it at the source
21 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
8- Justice Department secures deportation of Afghan woman through secretive ‘Alien Terrorist’ court (opens CNN in a new tab)
- Afghan woman whose case was the first for a long-dormant court has been deported, officials say (opens St Catharines Standard in a new tab)
St Catharines Standard — is St Catharines Standard biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Afghan woman whose case was the first for a long-dormant court has been deported, officials say (opens The Toronto Star in a new tab)
The Toronto Star — is The Toronto Star biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Afghan woman whose case was the first for a long-dormant court has been deported, officials say (opens The Seattle Times in a new tab)
The Seattle Times — is The Seattle Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Afghan woman whose case was the first for a long-dormant court has been deported, officials say (opens The Independent (US) in a new tab)
The Independent (US) — is The Independent (US) biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Afghan woman whose case was the first for a long-dormant court has been deported, officials say (opens ABC News in a new tab)
- Afghan woman whose case was the first for a long-dormant court has been deported, officials say (opens The Independent in a new tab)
The Independent — is The Independent biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Afghan woman whose case was the first for a long-dormant court has been deported, officials say (opens The Record in a new tab)
The Record — is The Record biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
11- Justice Department secures deportation of Afghan woman through secretive ‘Alien Terrorist’ court (opens KESQ in a new tab)
- Justice Department secures deportation of Afghan woman through secretive ‘Alien Terrorist’ court (opens KEYT in a new tab)
- Justice Department secures deportation of Afghan woman through secretive ‘Alien Terrorist’ court (opens KVIA in a new tab)
- Afghan woman in Texas dubbed an "alien terrorist" is deported in DOJ's first case using obscure court (opens CBS News in a new tab)
- Afghan woman whose case was the first for a long-dormant court has been deported, officials say (opens My Mother Lode in a new tab)
My Mother Lode — is My Mother Lode biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Afghan woman whose case was the first for a long-dormant court has been deported, officials say (opens The Record in a new tab)
The Record
- Afghan woman whose case was the first for a long-dormant court has bee (opens WBAL in a new tab)
- Afghan woman whose case was the first for a long-dormant court has been deported, officials say (opens KPRC-TV in a new tab)
Show 3 more
- Afghan woman whose case was the first for a long-dormant court has been deported, officials say (opens Click on Detroit in a new tab)
Click on Detroit — is Click on Detroit biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Afghan woman whose case was the first for a long-dormant court has been deported, officials say (opens WKMG in a new tab)
- Afghan woman whose case was the first for a long-dormant court has been deported, officials say (opens Winnipeg Free Press in a new tab)
Winnipeg Free Press — is Winnipeg Free Press biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
2- Department of justice removes alien terrorist in first use of united states alien terrorist removal court (opens Regtechtimes in a new tab)
Regtechtimes — is Regtechtimes biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Afghan woman whose case was the first for a long-dormant court has been deported, officials say (opens The Frontier Post in a new tab)
The Frontier Post — is The Frontier Post biased? Our profile of this outlet
How did this read?
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