ACLU Warns a Domestic War on Terror Could Unfairly Harm People of Color More Than White Supremacists

Outrage continues to build as more evidence emerges about participants in the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, which included members of violent white supremacist groups, including some who were on a terror watchlist. Leading Democrats, including President-elect Joe Biden, have called for new domestic terror laws to crack down on white supremacist violence, but civil liberties groups warn that law enforcement agencies already have the powers they need to disrupt violent far-right groups and that new domestic terrorism laws will ultimately harm marginalized groups. We cannot find our solutions in systems that ultimately harm us, particularly Black and Brown people," says Manar Waheed, senior legislative and advocacy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union.