Can Trump use a ‘zombie court’ to deport suspected terrorists? 

On July 15, the Department of Justice filed an application asking the Alien Terrorist Removal Court to authorize proceedings against an unnamed alien suspected of being a terrorist. Although the court was established in 1996, by the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, this was the first attempt to use it.  

If successful, this could turn the lifeless “zombie” court into a powerful tool for deporting alien terrorists. 

At a preliminary hearing the next day, Chief Judge Joan Ericksen expressed concern about the alleged connection between the alien’s conduct and the statutory provisions that were the basis for the application. She gave the government an opportunity to supplement its application. The government filed the supplement on July 22. 

According to Section 401 of the law’s conference report, alien terrorists are “able to exploit many of the substantive and procedural provisions available to all deportable aliens in order to delay their removal from the U.S.” The Alien Terrorist Removal Court has “special procedures to ensure that aliens within the United States whom the government believes to be engaging in terrorist activity can be removed from the United States without disclosing” classified information.

According to the 9/11 Commission staff’s 9/11 Terrorist Travel report, which was issued in 2004, a major reason for not using Alien Terrorist Removal Court proceedings was that new immigration laws permitted classified evidence in traditional deportation hearings, making the special court unnecessary.

Immigration law expert Andrew R. Arthur says he was able to prosecute alien terrorist cases in immigration court removal........

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