Domestic terrorism is defined as terrorism “perpetrated by individuals and/or groups inspired or associated with primarily U.S. based movements that espouse extremist ideologies of a political, religious, social, racial or environmental nature” by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Domestic terrorism has grown since the rise of the internet and social media, two of the three factors that the FBI says have contributed to the current terrorism threat landscape. The recent mass shootings (specifically the El Paso shooting) in the United States have brought on the discussion of giving the government more power in prosecuting domestic terrorists.
A bill introduced by Senator Martha McSally and Representative Adam Schiff would allow prosecution of “murders, assaults, and property crimes carried out with the intent to intimidate or coerce civilian populations or influence government policy”. It would also allow those who support (providing money, transportation, etc) these actions to be charged. The bill could help the FBI to catch perpetrators before the attacks are carried out and show how white supremacy is treated on the same level as ISIS. However, the main issue with this is not the power that authorities have, it is how the FBI has treated cases of “domestic terrorism”. In past cases such as Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber was only charged with using a weapon of mass destruction and murdering federal officials. Although he killed 168 people, he was never labeled as a terrorist by the law, only by media.
Unlike international terrorism which the federal government has the authority to investigate suspects, suspected domestic terrorism cannot be investigated due to protection under the first amendment. Those who are prosecuted are charged with hate crimes or weapons possession because “domestic terrorism” cannot be prosecuted. Though the attacks fit the definition of terrorism, perpetrators are investigated as civil rights matters.
Measures need to be taken to ensure the safety of American citizens but the debate still comes down to how new policies would violate political demonstrations, advocacy, and the First Amendment.
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I think it's really interesting how someone could kill dozens of people in their home country and be considered a murderer, but if it was someone from an outside country, it would be considered terrorism. It's really shocking to me that the racist culture of America is making its way into the FBI. There's too much of a stigma against people that aren't from the US, especially those of Hispanic or Israeli descent. If the FBI allows white people to get away with acts of terrorism and immediately prosecute others for the same acts, they are essentially enabling the white population and allowing them to commit vile crimes.
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