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Federal Officials Accused of Falsely Labeling Citizens as “Domestic Terrorists” Before Investigations
Federal law enforcement agencies are facing scrutiny over a pattern of labeling U.S. citizens as “domestic terrorists” before investigations are complete, according to an NPR investigation. This practice has raised concerns about due process and the use of inflammatory rhetoric to justify aggressive enforcement actions.
The issue gained national attention following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti and Renee Macklin Good by federal agents in Minneapolis. Trump administration officials quickly characterized the pair as domestic terrorists, despite video evidence and witness accounts that appeared to contradict these claims.
NPR journalists Jude Joffe-Block and Huo Jingnan have uncovered similar cases across the country where Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials made serious allegations against citizens without waiting for judicial proceedings to establish facts.
One such case involves Marimar Martinez, a U.S. citizen and Montessori school teacher in Chicago. In October, Martinez was shot five times by a Border Patrol agent following a vehicle collision. According to her account, she had been honking her horn to warn people about immigration agents in the area when the incident occurred.
“There’s tweets, there’s press releases branding this woman, who, by the way, is a Montessori school teacher with no criminal history—she’s now all of a sudden a domestic terrorist. This is before there’s any investigation done, obviously,” said Chris Parente, Martinez’s lawyer.
The charges against Martinez were eventually dropped, but the “domestic terrorist” label had already been applied through official channels. She is now asking the court to unseal records related to her case, including body camera footage, to provide transparency about what actually transpired.
Another troubling case involves George Retes, a security guard at a California cannabis farm. Retes was pepper-sprayed and dragged from his vehicle by federal agents during an immigration operation this summer. He was detained for three days without explanation.
Despite never being charged with a crime, each time Retes speaks publicly about his experience, DHS posts on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) claiming he became violent and refused to comply with law enforcement—allegations Retes vehemently denies.
“It’s a complete lie. The proof is all there. There’s helicopter footage. They never charged me,” Retes told NPR. “I felt like it was just a tactic to try to intimidate me or try to stop me from speaking out. And unfortunately for them, it’s not going to work.”
Anya Bidwell, Retes’ attorney, noted that federal officials often enjoy immunity protections that state and local officials don’t have, making lawsuits against them difficult to win. This protection may embolden officials to make statements that misrepresent facts without fear of consequences.
When questioned by NPR, DHS doubled down on its original accusations against both Martinez and Retes. The department issued a statement saying: “Under President Trump’s and Secretary Noem’s leadership, DHS has always been steadfast in targeting dangerous criminal, illegal aliens, including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, drug traffickers, gang members and terrorists.”
The NPR investigation also revealed a systematic approach to shaping public perception. During the first year of the current administration, DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) posted about more than 2,000 foreign-born individuals targeted for immigration enforcement on their social media accounts.
These posts typically include photos, names, ages, nationalities, and alleged criminal histories. Most describe the subjects as some combination of “criminal,” “illegal,” and “alien.” Notably, similar posts about non-immigration law enforcement targets rarely include photos of suspects.
Brendan Nyhan, a professor at Dartmouth College, observed the psychological impact of such messaging: “People are being told to fear violent criminals in their midst. They’re being shown seemingly scary pictures of criminals from vulnerable outgroups and told that they’re being kept safe by dragging those people away.”
This rhetoric, Nyhan noted, obscures the fact that “the majority of the people being grabbed have no record of violent conduct at all”—an observation supported by recent deportation data.
Scholars argue that portraying activists and immigrants as dangerous criminals helps justify increasingly aggressive operations in American cities, raising significant concerns about civil liberties and the proper role of federal law enforcement in a democratic society.
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10 Comments
The NPR report highlights some troubling cases where DHS made serious claims without waiting for the full facts. This raises valid questions about potential overreach and civil liberties.
You’re right. Labeling individuals as terrorists without solid evidence is a dangerous precedent that must be scrutinized closely.
This NPR investigation raises serious questions about potential overreach and lack of due process by federal law enforcement. Balancing public safety and civil liberties is crucial.
The reported pattern of DHS making inflammatory claims before investigations are complete is very worrying. This undermines confidence in the system and could lead to unjustified harm.
I agree. Rushing to judgment and using such charged rhetoric against citizens is unacceptable, even in the name of security.
The allegations of DHS falsely labeling citizens as ‘domestic terrorists’ before facts are established is highly concerning. Transparency and adherence to the rule of law must be paramount.
Absolutely. Rushing to make such damaging accusations without evidence is a troubling abuse of power that undermines public trust.
This is a concerning pattern of premature accusations by federal agencies. Due process is critical, and we should be cautious about inflammatory rhetoric before all the facts are known.
Absolutely. Rushing to label citizens as ‘domestic terrorists’ before investigations are complete undermines trust in law enforcement and the justice system.
While maintaining public safety is critical, these allegations of premature and unsubstantiated claims by federal agencies are concerning. Upholding due process should be the priority.