Team Trump Explores New Deportation Path In 'Alien Terrorist Removal' Court

The Donald Trump administration in the United States is tapping into a never-before-used dormant and secretive court to deport so-called "alien terrorists" from the United States. The US Justice Department filed the first-ever petition in the Alien Terrorist Removal Court's history last week, seeking to remove an unnamed noncitizen, the first use of a 30-year-old process that could give Washington a new tool for Trump's deportation agenda.The one-page filing at the court, established in 1996, does not name the person, the alleged crime of the defendant, or the part of the anti-terrorism law the department cited, according to a report by Axios. But during the Thursday hearing, the chief judge of the five-member court, Joan Ericksen, questioned the connection between the person's alleged actions and the law. She also ordered the Justice Department to provide more information about the case this week. About The CourtThe five-judge court was created by US Congress in 1996 for cases where ordinary immigration proceedings could expose classified information and threaten national security.The proceedings under the court are set in two stages: one private and the other public.The law establishing the court allows the attorney general or his deputy to file under seal applications for the deportation of a suspected "alien terrorist." But their application must be backed by a statement of facts describing the reason for the designation and certifying that the person's presence is a threat to national security.If an application is granted, the court must hold a public hearing, where the Justice Department must prove that the defendant meets the law's definition of an "alien terrorist."But even during the public hearing, the law does not permit the defendant or the public to see classified evidence apart from an unclassified summary provided by the DOJ. Who Is An Alien TerroristAccording to law, an 'alien terrorist' is a noncitizen who carried out or is likely to carry out terrorist activity. The definition covers individuals who incite or endorse terrorism, represent or belong to certain terrorist groups, or receive military-type training from them.Under the law, prosecutors are allowed to use illegally obtained evidence, giving them power far beyond federal law. The criteria also include the spouse or child of someone deemed an "alien terrorist."Why It MattersIf the Trump administration wins this case, it could set up a new precedent of removing people it links to terrorism while keeping much of its evidence secret. And a loss would be evidence of why this court sat idle for 30 years, as the law may likely demand more evidence than the government wants to provide.