Trump issues memo instructing feds to assess Antifa as a terrorist organization, restrict US entry of affiliated foreign nationals

President Donald Trump issued an official memorandum Tuesday instructing federal officials to assess whether Antifa is a terrorist organization, and if so, to restrict entry of foreign nationals affiliated with the violent extremist movement.

As one of the fundamental purposes of the federal government is to ensure safety within its borders, federal law enforces immigration that only benefits individuals who follow the laws that govern all American citizens. According to the Immigration and Nationality Act, aliens are deemed inadmissible who have engaged or who are likely to engage in terrorist activity and those aliens who seek entry into the United States to partake in unlawful conduct. Active membership in a criminal association is relevant to the determination of whether an applicant for a visa or other immigration benefit is seeking to enter the country to engage in criminal behavior.

Law enforcement organizations, including the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, should continue to provide the Department of State with updated information to the list of criminal organizations in the Foreign Affairs Manual, the presidential memo stipulates. This data should include assessments of whether aliens involved with such associations pose a threat to national security.

Reporting suggests that the Antifa movement is partially responsible for the recent lawlessness in local communities and has "exploited tragedies to advance a radical, leftist, anarchist, and often violent agenda," the memo reads, further stating that Antifa has "long used otherwise permissible demonstrations" to engage in lawlessness.

Between February and August 2017 during a series of demonstrations in Berkeley, California, Antifa insurgents assaulted several individuals and caused significant property damage, the memo cites. For example on Aug. 27, 2017, black-clad Antifa militants viciously attacked a rally, targeting at least one person because of his conservative beliefs. The violence resulted in 13 arrests on a range of charges, including assault with a deadly weapon and obstructing a police officer. During the gatherings on Feb. 1, 2017, over 100 agitators in black bloc caused an estimated $100,000 worth of property damage. Separately, on June 29, 2019, Antifa protesters attacked The Post Millennial's editor-at-large Andy Ngo while he was covering civil unrest in Portland, Oregon, leaving him hospitalized.

Antifa operatives have also repeatedly threatened violence against law enforcement officers. In June 2018, an Antifa-tied Twitter account shared the names of nearly 1,600 Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees, leading other comrades to track and post the social media profiles, phone numbers, and home addresses of several of these ICE agents. The doxxing resulted in the harassment of those federal employees.

On Sept. 23, 2020, anarchists unpacked a U-Haul moving truck to distribute riot gear, including shields, masks, and a sign emblazoned with an Antifa symbol in Louisville, Kentucky, before riots ensued. Far-left activists mobilized following the announcement that only one of the cops involved in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor would face criminal charges. Hours later, the coordinated uprising led to the shooting of two police officers.

The DOJ has already publicly confirmed that actions by Antifa and similar groups meet the standard for domestic terrorism. The memo declared that crimes committed by Antifa—such as hurling dangerous projectiles and incendiary devices at police, burning vehicles, and confronting authorities in defiance of local curfews—"is dangerous to human life and to the fabric of our Nation."

"These violent acts undermine the rights of peaceful protestors and destroy the lives, liberty, and property of the people of this Nation, especially those most vulnerable," the memo concludes.

The Secretary of State shall consult with the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security to review information received from the DOJ and other federal authorities to assess whether to classify Antifa as a terrorist organization.

"Antifa activists have brutally attacked our law-abiding friends, neighbors, and business owners, and destroyed historic landmarks that our communities have cherished for decades," according to an additional statement released by the White House press secretary. "This violence and lawlessness has no place in the United States and will be called out for the domestic terrorism that it is."