Summary
President Donald Trump plans to declare Antifa a "major terrorist organization," but there's no legal method to designate a domestic group as a terrorist organization like foreign groups are. The move faces obstacles because Antifa is not a structured organization, and current U.S. law only allows the designation of foreign terrorist organizations.
Key Facts
- President Trump announced plans to label Antifa as a terrorist organization.
- U.S. law does not currently allow domestic groups to be officially designated as terrorist organizations.
- Antifa is a term for several loosely connected far-left groups rather than one organization.
- Georgetown professor Bruce R. Hoffman states that changing federal law would be necessary for Trump's plan.
- Some Republicans support the designation to enable legal action against Antifa's alleged funders.
- Former FBI director Christopher Wray noted domestic terrorism is not a specific federal crime, complicating legal action.
- The White House stated in the past there's no formal process to designate domestic terrorist organizations.
- A 2023 Congressional Research Service report explained that "domestic terrorism" is defined by law, but no group is officially labeled as such.
