A memo from the FBI circulated to multiple law enforcement agencies described peaceful protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement as related to terrorism, a report published by The Guardian on Friday revealed.
The FBI is led by pro-Trump sycophant Kash Patel and overseen by Attorney General Pam Bondi, an unabashed promoter of Trump who has echoed his extremist rhetoric about detractors.
The memo, published on Nov. 14, claimed there was increased “threat activity targeting government personnel or facilities related to immigration enforcement efforts.” The document also alleged that “anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism and anti-Christianity” are ongoing threats to the country, and falsely described anti-ICE protests in cities like Los Angeles and Portland as examples of “political violence,” according to The Guardian.
The memo reportedly cites activities like “conducting online research” about the movement of ICE agents and using encrypted messaging as an “indicator” that someone is planning an attack on an ICE facility.
Officials reportedly complain in the document that “domestic terrorist subjects” have been involved in “reactive violent attacks which took advantage of First Amendment-protected activities nationwide.”
Rachel Levinson-Waldman, director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, told The Guardian, “It is not illegal to do online research about the publicly available movements of government officers or to communicate through encrypted apps like Signal or WhatsApp.”
“It invites law enforcement suspicion and investigation based on purely first amendment-protected beliefs and activities,” Hina Shamsi of the ACLU told the outlet.
In October, the Trump administration pressured app stores to remove ICEBlock, a free crowdsource-based app that allowed individuals to report ICE presence in their neighborhoods.
The FBI memo’s key argument that ICE agents are under increased threat of violence is also not true. ICE has said attacks are up “1,000%” and more but a Los Angeles Times study of ICE-involved court cases showed no such increase in violence.
The Trump administration has tried to paint everyone who stands in opposition to its policies as a terrorist, including Democratic leaders and progressive activists. However, the tactic predates Trump and was used by former President George W. Bush, who smeared opponents of his wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as pro-terrorist.
Meanwhile, ICE regularly commits abuses across the nation as it works to enact Trump’s mass deportation agenda. ICE has harassed families—including children—and often fails to distinguish between documented or undocumented immigrants (both of whom have constitutional rights). Among those that ICE has harassed and detained are military veterans.
The FBI memo represents another instance of the Trump administration using the power of government to attack speech it doesn’t like.