The Trump administration has activated the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, a little-used federal court established by Congress approximately 30 years ago to handle cases involving the removal of noncitizens accused of terrorism-related activities.According to reports, the court has now received its first application since it was created, marking a rare use of this specialized legal mechanism.

The Department of Justice submitted the application on July 15, although the filing remains sealed, meaning the identity of the individual involved and the specific allegations have not been made public.

The court's website was recently launched, and Judge Joan Ericksen issued an order requesting additional information from the government before proceeding.

During a hearing held on July 16, no sworn testimony was presented, but Justice Department attorneys indicated they would supplement the record with additional evidence.

The judge stated that the court would benefit from further consideration before ruling and gave the Department of Justice until July 22 to provide the requested materials.

The Alien Terrorist Removal Court consists of five federal judges appointed by the Chief Justice of the United States and was designed to review government requests to deport noncitizens alleged to have ties to terrorism.

News reports describe the filing as a notable escalation in the administration's broader immigration enforcement strategy, which has included expanded actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.Because the court documents remain sealed, the legal basis for the application and the respondent's identity are not yet publicly available.