Trump administration expands 'war on terror' labels to domestic dissent

Key facts

• The US government is applying terrorism labels to diverse domestic targets, including protesters and those opposing government policies.
• The Trump administration's National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7) identified 'anti-Christianity,' 'anti-Americanism,' and 'anti-capitalism' as potential indicators of domestic terrorism.
• The Prairieland case saw defendants protesting against ICE detention centers indicted for 'providing material support to terrorists' and 'aiding and abetting' attempted murder.
• Eight Prairieland defendants were sentenced to between 30 and 100 years in prison.
• The 'war on terror' framework, initially focused on Muslim communities, is now being applied more broadly to domestic dissent.
• The CIA used terrorism labels in the 1970s to justify domestic surveillance of political dissidents.

The US government is increasingly weaponizing the 'war on terror' framework to target domestic dissent, applying terrorism labels to a broad range of individuals and groups who oppose government policies or hegemony. This expansion, rooted in post-9/11 surveillance and discriminatory practices, is seen as a means to suppress opposition and extend state power.

The Trump administration's National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7), released in September 2025, identified expressions such as 'anti-Christianity,' 'anti-Americanism,' and 'anti-capitalism' as potential indicators of domestic terrorism. This broadens the scope of potential targets beyond those previously associated with international terrorism, including protesters against government agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and those expressing grievances over economic disparities.

Historical precedent for using such labels to justify surveillance dates back to the 1970s, when the CIA adopted terrorism and subversive labels to rebrand domestic spying programs aimed at political dissidents. The current administration's counterterrorism strategy continues this legacy, mobilizing resources against unilaterally identified political targets. The vagueness of terms like 'radicalisation' and 'extremism' facilitates this expansion, building on the normalized, racialized application of these frameworks upon Muslim communities over the past two decades.

A chilling example of this expansion is the Prairieland case, where defendants protesting ICE detention centers were indicted for 'providing material support to terrorists.' Convicted in March and sentenced in June, eight individuals received prison terms ranging from 30 to 100 years, with one sentenced to 30 years for moving a box of zines prosecutors claimed could recruit sympathizers. This follows the precedent set by the 2011 conviction of Tarek Mehanna for translating documents, an act protected by the First Amendment.