US “Antifa” terror charges applied for the first time, with the accused facing extended sentencing. In contrast, federal agents involved in fatal shootings remain under lengthy investigation.
Details. Nine individuals described by the Department of Justice as “Antifa activists” were convicted following a July 4, 2025, demonstration outside an ICE detention centre, during which an ICE officer was shot and wounded.
► Each defendant faces sentences ranging from 10–20 years to life in prison for alleged coordination of an ambush on ICE officers, support for terrorism, and related charges. Alleged links to loosely defined “Antifa cells” are being used to justify the terrorism designation and increase sentencing severity.
► Since the start of the second Trump administration, federal immigration agents have been involved in at least 16 shooting incidents, resulting in at least 6 deaths, alongside 32 deaths recorded in ICE detention facilities in 2025. Following the public shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told ICE officers they had “Federal immunity.”
► No criminal charges have been filed against ICE officers to date. The Department of Justice has opened a civil rights investigation in the Alex Pretti case, while other incidents remain subject only to internal DHS/ICE review. Outcomes have so far been limited to administrative measures, including temporary leave in at least one case.
Context. In 2025, Trump designated “Antifa” – a term originally associated with communist antifascists in WWII – as a domestic terrorist organisation, exploiting the ambiguity of the label to target left-wing activism in general, and communists in particular. While US law does not formally recognise domestic organisations as terrorist groups, the executive order paves the way for expanded surveillance, investigations, and prosecutions.
► Far-right parties in Europe have also called for bans on “Antifa,” and countries like Poland and the Czech Republic have criminalised Communist parties and ideologies, equating them with Nazism and totalitarianism. In France and Canada, monuments to the “victims of Communism” have been unveiled, further equating socialism with Nazism.