Overview

• President Trump signed the order on Sept. 22, directing federal agencies to investigate Antifa’s funding and any illegal or terrorist activities and to use available authorities to disrupt them.
• The text of the order characterizes Antifa as a militaristic, anarchistic organization that seeks to overturn government institutions and radicalize young people.
• U.S. media describe a domestic terrorist designation as an unprecedented step in federal practice.
• Legal experts say no federal statute provides a process to designate domestic groups as terrorist organizations and warn of potential First Amendment conflicts.
• Antifa’s decentralized nature and the lack of specific targets or methods in the order leave enforcement uncertain, with the move following the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and Trump’s renewed criticism of the political left.