- administered a domestic violent extremism and domestic terrorism research program. Last year, NIJ published a review of the most up-to date research and an analysis highlighting areas where more work is needed. In FY 2021, NIJ will fund research that improves understanding of the process of radicalizing to terrorism, reintegration of offenders incarcerated for terrorism-related offenses, and terrorism prevention programs. The President’s FY 2022 Budget includes a $4 million increase for NIJ to further research the causes of radicalization to terrorism.
- The Department has also recently announced several initiatives aimed at preventing or more effectively responding to hate crimes, some of which also qualify as acts of domestic terrorism. For example, the Attorney General has appointed a Hate Crimes Coordinator to centralize the Department’s efforts to combat hate crimes. Beginning on October 1, 2021, the FBI will elevate hate crimes and criminal civil rights violations to its highest-level national threat priority, which will increase resources for hate crimes prevention and investigations and make hate crimes a focus for all of the FBI’s field offices. Additionally, on June 30, 2021, the FBI launched a National Anti-hate Crimes Campaign involving all 56 FBI field offices to encourage reporting of hate crimes and hate incidents. The campaign leverages outdoor advertising, billboards, radio streaming, and social media to encourage and build public awareness of hate crimes and encourage reporting to law enforcement.
To support these efforts, the Department is seeking substantial additional resources. The President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2022 includes over $100 million in additional funds to ensure that we have the analysts, investigators, and prosecutors needed to counter the threat posed by domestic terrorism.
III.
As the National Strategy makes clear, any approach to addressing the challenge of domestic terrorism must also safeguard the civil rights and civil liberties that are fundamental to American society. As in all of its domestic investigations, the FBI’s investigations into domestic terrorist activities are governed by a comprehensive set of guidelines designed to ensure respect for the rights and liberties of the American people. The Attorney General Guidelines for Domestic FBI Operations recognize that it “is axiomatic that the FBI must conduct its investigations and other activities in a lawful and reasonable manner that respects liberty and privacy and avoids unnecessary intrusions into the lives of law-abiding people.”
The Attorney General first adopted comprehensive guidelines governing domestic investigations in the late 1970s, in response to the findings of the Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities (the “Church Committee”). That Committee had uncovered abuses in the Federal Government’s surveillance of civil rights groups and other domestic political organizations, and it recommended fundamental reforms to the Government’s intelligence gathering practices.
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