Protesters Accused of Antifa Ties Sentenced to Up to 100 Years in ICE Attack
NYT > U.S. > Politics — 2026-06-23 13:54:00 — www.nytimes.com
Donald Trump’s Crackdown on Antifa: Expanding the Definition of Domestic Terrorism
Donald Trump has long prioritized bringing criminal charges against antifa activists and other left-wing demonstrators who have protested his immigration raids across the country. In September, he issued an executive order declaring antifa a “domestic terrorist organization”—despite the fact that such a designation does not actually exist under U.S. law.
Trump’s administration also issued National Security Presidential Memo 7, a sweeping directive that ordered a whole-of-government approach to targeting antifascist groups. This memo greatly expanded the definition of domestic terrorism to include a list of political beliefs traditionally protected by the First Amendment, such as “anticapitalism,” “extremism on migration, race, and gender,” and even “hostility towards those who hold traditional American views on family, religion and morality.”
These actions have led to a concerted crackdown on activists who have demonstrated against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including recent indictments of individuals said to be affiliated with antifa in Minnesota.
Fact-Checking Trump’s Claims
Trump’s executive order labeling antifa as a “domestic terrorist organization” is misleading. U.S. law does not provide a mechanism for designating domestic groups as terrorist organizations in the way it does for foreign entities. This claim has been widely fact-checked and found to be a distortion of legal reality.
Furthermore, the expanded definition of domestic terrorism in Trump’s directive includes political beliefs and forms of protest that are typically protected under the First Amendment. By targeting “anticapitalism” and “extremism on migration, race, and gender,” the administration blurred the line between violent acts and constitutionally protected speech.
Conclusion
Trump’s aggressive stance against antifa and left-wing demonstrators has resulted in unprecedented legal actions and harsh penalties for protesters, as seen in the recent sentencing of individuals involved in the Alvarado, Texas, ICE facility attack. However, his efforts to label antifa as a terrorist organization and to broaden the definition of domestic terrorism raise serious concerns about the protection of free speech and the potential for government overreach. These actions reflect a pattern of exaggeration and legal distortion in Trump’s approach to political dissent.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/us/politics/antifa-ice-protesters-sentencing.html