FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday failed to name one terrorist organization they plan to investigate during a news conference at the Oval Office with President Donald Trump.
Trump signed a memorandum on the implementation of the death penalty in Washington, D.C, then a series of press questions followed after claims that “this is a very safe city right now, we don’t play games.”
“Who do you specifically want to target?” a reporter asked.
The three leaders were unable to respond to the questions, saying that they would “follow the money” and investigate “any organized group.”
But they still didn’t specifically name anything or anyone.
When pressed again, he responded, “antifa Soros… Well, [billionaire Democratic donor George] Soros is a name certainly that I keep hearing… I hear a lot of different names. I hear names of some pretty rich people that are radical left people, Maybe I hear about a guy named Reid Hoffman.”
Trump reportedly demanded that Soros, a longtime villain to conservatives, be thrown in prison, and the senior DOJ official’s directive lists possible charges – from arson to material support of terrorism – that prosecutors could file, according to a copy of the document viewed by The New York Times, which noted the memo suggests department officials are targeting individuals on the president’s orders.
“I don’t know, maybe, and maybe could be him, could be a lot of people,” Trump said.
Trump indicated that he wants to stop these unnamed groups or individuals from “performing acts of violence.”
“We’re looking at the funders of a lot of these groups. You know, when you see the signs, and they’re all beautiful signs, made professionally. These aren’t your protesters that make the sign in their basement late in the evening because they really believe it,” Trump claimed.
“These are anarchists and agitators — professional anarchists and agitators — and they get hired by wealthy people, some of whom I know, I guess, you know, probably know ’em. And you wouldn’t know it. You’re at dinner with them, everything’s nice and then you find out that they funded millions of dollars to these lunatics.”
Trump also invited his deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, to say a few words.
“This is a very historic and significant day,” Miller said. “This is the first time in American history that there is an all-government effort to dismantle left-wing terrorism, to dismantle antifa, to dismantle violence and terrorism.”
Last week, Trump designated antifa as a “domestic terrorist organization.” The loose-knit group does not have a leader and is comprised of people who generally describe themselves as anarchists, socialists, communists, and don’t generally share their identities to avoid retaliation from right-wing conservatives.
Miller argued that the government was looking at Black Lives Matter, Charlie Kirk’s killing, and attacks on ICE agents as “not lone, isolated events, this is part of an organized campaign of radical left terrorism… there is really no parallel like this…”
He claimed that a feeder organization was isolating public officials, doxxing government officials and attempting political assassinations.
“It is terrorism on our soil. Because of this executive order, Kash and Pam are going to have the tools they need working with Scott to take these organizations apart piece by piece, and the central hub of that effort is going to be the Joint Terrorism Task Force, or JTTF, which sits inside the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” Miller said.
Miller added that the investigation of terrorists, although it’s unclear who they are, would have the full support of the U.S. government.
“But for those at home who are worried about terrorism, understand because of President Trump’s strength, because of his vision, because of his leadership, we are now going to use the entire force of the federal government to uproot these organizations root and branch,” Miller said.
Tag Archives: Joint Terrorism Task Force
News Nation: Report: 14K federal workers, including USCIS, assisting ICE
The Cato Institute says over 14,500 federal law enforcement officers from other agencies are working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to facilitate raids and make arrests nationwide, including new special agents from USCIS.
The Cato Institute this week reported that ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) is receiving assistance from nearly 17,000 non-ERO agents, according to data given to the nonprofit organization.
That includes diverting U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services employees to help with ICE raids.
The Department of Homeland Security this week announced a new class of USCIS employees had been “newly minted” as special agents to work with ICE.
USCIS personnel will have the authority “to investigate and enforce civil and criminal violations of the immigration laws within the jurisdiction of USCIS. These authorities include, but are not limited to, the issuance and execution of warrants, the arrest of individuals, and carrying of firearms,” according to a notice posted Friday in the Federal Register.
This includes ordering expedited removals. USCIS says it plans to recruit and train special agents for these roles.
“As (Homeland Security) Secretary Noem delegated lawful authorities to expand the agency’s law enforcement capabilities, this rule allows us to fulfill our critical mission. This historic moment will better address immigration crimes, hold those that perpetrate immigration fraud accountable, and act as a force multiplier for DHS and our federal law enforcement partners, including the Joint Terrorism Task Force,” USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said in a statement.
Edlow says this will allow his agency to handle investigations from start to finish, instead of referring some cases to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and ERO agents.
The Cato Institute reports that other federal employees diverted to ICE ERO include:
- ICE HSI: 6,198
- FBI: 2,840
- Drug Enforcement Administration: 2,181
- Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives: 1,778
- U.S. Marshals Service: 650
- Border Patrol: 335
- Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations: 288
- Department of State – Diplomatic Security: 93
- CBP Air and Marine Operations: 68
- Department of Defense: 35
- IRS: 20
- Bureau of Prisons: 11
- U.S. Secret Service: 1
In addition, state and local law enforcement agencies have teamed up with ICE part of the 287(g) program. Cato reports that over 8,500 officers are contributing to ICE operations.
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) is opposed to arming USCIS personnel to become an arresting arm.
“The Trump Administration has transformed USCIS into an enforcement agency, weaponizing the immigration system against American families, asylum seekers, and businesses. What’s worse, this rule states they now plan to arm potentially hundreds of agents at USCIS,” AILA President Jeff Joseph said.
“Congress established USCIS after 9/11 to process legal immigration applications. Enforcement actions were left to other agencies to ensure that immigrants felt safe submitting their personal information and appearing for interviews. The administration’s continued attacks on those who are following the rules and going through legal channels will only serve to push people further into the shadows. Their aim of driving people out of the country shows a shocking disregard for the value and contributions that immigrants make to America,” Johnson said.
