In the wake of the mass shooting that targeted Mexicans in El Paso, Texas, national security officials are aggressively pushing new laws to treat white nationalist violence the way we have treated international terrorism since 9/11. Applying the “terrorism” label to white nationalist violence is appropriate: It acknowledges the systemic and political nature of the threat and the need for a concerted response.
Even so, proposals to expand federal law enforcement powers are misguided and dangerous. Moreover, if history is any guide, activists of color and marginalized communities might bear the brunt of that expansion, instead of the white supremacists who prompted it.
As a national security law scholar and former civil rights lawyer, I've seen how flawed our approach to terrorism has been. Expanding our terrorism laws would only entrench an unfair and unaccountable legal regime.
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