The US Department of Justice is activating a little-used deportation mechanism by filing the first petition in the history of the “Alien Terrorist Removal Court” (ATRC). Multiple outlets report that the court was created in 1996 but remained dormant for about 30 years, receiving no petitions until this week. The Justice Department has filed an application seeking the removal of an individual designated as a “terrorist” under the court’s framework. The person’s name is withheld in the single-page petition document posted on the court’s website, according to reporting.
The filings are part of the government’s effort to request deportation through a specialized process distinct from standard immigration proceedings. Reported details focus on the court’s unusual status—established decades earlier, yet never previously used—along with the novelty of the first petition. Sources do not provide additional public details about the person, the underlying allegations, or the timing of any hearings beyond the initial filing, emphasizing that the court’s activation is the main new development.
