FBI Investigating Anti-ICE Activity and Messages as Domestic Terrorism
Protests and event messages regarding ICE could now be grounds for a domestic terrorism investigation by the FBI.
The Guardian reports that the bureau has initiated prosecutions in 23 areas of the United States related to “threats to immigration enforcement activities.” The surveys are part of the new NSPM-7 national security strategy targeting alleged anti-American activities of the left. This document referred to anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles and Portland as examples of “political violence.”
The investigations were outlined in an internal report written by the FBI in November and shared with other law enforcement agencies. The report mentions that using encrypted messaging apps to discuss ICE was considered an indicator of whether a person would engage in acts of terrorism, as was “stockpiling or distributing firearms” and “conducting online research” on agents.
The document alarmed privacy advocates and civil rights groups, who said it confirmed their fears that the NSPM-7 document would be used to suppress dissent. In more than 30 states, the FBI has opened cases related to anti-ICE or NSPM-7 activity, a map in the document shows.
“[The FBI document] is steeped in vague and overly broad language, which was exactly our concern about NSPM-7 in the first place. It invites law enforcement to suspect and investigate based on beliefs and activities purely protected by the First Amendment,” said Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU’s National Security Project. The Guardian. “People who are completely innocent of any wrongdoing may be subjected to surveillance or investigation. This imposes a stigma. This may wrongly [enmesh] people in the criminal justice system.
Coupled with his statement that antifa, or anti-fascism, is a terrorist organizationthese actions by the Trump administration are intended to suppress any protest or dissent against its policies. It’s not a stretch to imagine federal law enforcement cracking down on President Trump’s political opposition, using these documents to justify their actions, all in the name of fighting terrorism.
