FBI Counterterror Agents Targeting Climate Activists Under Secret Domestic Terror List

The bottom line: FBI counterterrorism agents are investigating a nonviolent climate activist group under Trump's NSPM-7 directive. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the existence of a secret domestic terror list, then refused to share it with Congress. The ACLU says the whole operation targets people for their beliefs, not their actions.

What Happened

In February 2026, two FBI agents (one from New York's Joint Terrorism Task Force) showed up at the upstate home of a former Extinction Rebellion NYC member. They wanted to ask questions about the group ^[1].

This wasn't a first contact. The agent had called in January. When that didn't work, she tracked down his current address and appeared in person.

The agent assured him he "wasn't in any trouble." He declined to speak anyway. Attorney Ron Kuby, who represents the activist, called the repeated pursuit "a significant escalation" that "suggests a real investigative effort" ^[1].

Extinction Rebellion NYC conducts direct actions like spray-painting Trump Tower on Earth Day. Misdemeanor stuff. Their actions are nonviolent by design ^[2]. Since when does misdemeanor graffiti warrant the Joint Terrorism Task Force?

The Secret List

The day before The Intercept published its story on the FBI's climate activist investigation, Attorney General Pam Bondi accidentally admitted something important.

During a House Judiciary Committee hearing on February 11, Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon pressed Bondi about a secret domestic terrorism list being compiled under Trump's NSPM-7 directive ^[3].

Bondi confirmed it exists. "I know antifa is part of that," she said.

Then she shut down:

"I'm not going to commit to anything to you because you won't let me answer questions."

Scanlon's response: "Secret list of people or groups that you are accusing of domestic terrorism, but you won't share it with Congress."

That's exactly what's happening. The government is building a list of "domestic terrorist organizations," and the people on it can't challenge their inclusion because they don't know they're on it.

What Is NSPM-7?

National Security Presidential Memorandum 7, signed by Trump on September 25, 2025, is titled "Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence" ^[4].

The ACLU calls it "chilling to read."

Here's what NSPM-7 does:

Creates a domestic terror list: Directs the FBI to compile lists of "domestic terrorist organizations."
Targets beliefs, not crimes: Defines threats to include "anti-Americanism," "anti-capitalism," "anti-Christianity," "antifascism," and "radical gender ideologies."
Deploys JTTFs against activists: Directs Joint Terrorism Task Forces (meant for actual terrorism) to investigate progressive groups and their donors.
Uses the IRS as a weapon: Tasks Treasury and IRS to investigate targeted organizations, threatening their tax-exempt status.

Attorney General Bondi issued an implementation memo in December 2025. The first report was due January 3, 2026 ^[4]. By February, FBI agents were showing up at climate activists' doors.

The Problem: There's No Crime Called "Domestic Terrorism"

This is the thing NSPM-7 tries to paper over. Under federal law, there's no crime called "domestic terrorism." You can't actually charge someone with being a domestic terrorist ^[5].

What NSPM-7 does instead: it uses vague ideology labels to justify opening investigations, then looks for other charges to bring. It doesn't criminalize being anti-capitalist, but it uses anti-capitalism as a reason to put you under surveillance until agents find something that sticks.

The ACLU identified the playbook: "NSPM-7 is a deliberate attempt to sow fear and intimidate and silence opposition to the president's abuses."

Here's who can end up on the list under NSPM-7's definitions:

Environmental groups (anti-capitalism)
Racial justice organizations (extremism on race)
Pro-Palestinian groups (anti-Americanism)
LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations (radical gender ideologies)
Religious groups that criticize the administration (anti-Christianity, somehow)
Anyone labeled "antifa," a term with no formal membership or organization

The Guardian reported in November 2025 that FBI internal documents showed active NSPM-7 investigations in 27 locations across the country, including New York ^[1]. It fits a wider pattern of agencies building profiles from people's online speech.

We've Seen This Before

If this sounds familiar, it should.

In the 1960s and 70s, the FBI ran COINTELPRO, a program that targeted civil rights groups, anti-war activists, and socialist organizations for surveillance, infiltration, and disruption. Martin Luther King Jr. was a target. So was the NAACP. So was the American Indian Movement.

When it came out, Congress was horrified. The Church Committee documented the abuses and helped establish oversight rules that the FBI was supposed to follow.

NSPM-7 reads like someone studied COINTELPRO and decided to try again with better legal cover. Same tactics: use vague ideology labels to justify investigating people for their beliefs. Same targets: civil rights groups, environmental activists, anyone organizing against the administration.

The NYCLU is already asking why New York continues to fund Joint Terrorism Task Forces that are now being turned against activists and nonprofits ^[6].

If the FBI Contacts You

The climate activist who got visited did exactly the right thing: he declined to speak and called a lawyer.

Here's what the ACLU recommends:

You have the right to remain silent. You don't have to answer questions from FBI agents, even if they say you're "not in trouble."
Ask if you're being detained. If not, you can leave or close your door.
Request a lawyer. Don't answer questions until you've spoken with one.
Don't consent to searches. Without a warrant, agents can't enter your home or search your belongings without permission.
Document the encounter. Write down what happened, who was there, what they asked.

Organizations on the potential target list should review their security practices. The ACLU has published guidance specifically for nonprofits facing NSPM-7 investigations ^[4].

What Happens Next

The Trump administration is betting that most Americans won't notice their neighbors being investigated for spray-painting buildings and protesting at ballets.

But here's the trajectory: A climate activist today. A racial justice organizer tomorrow. A religious group that opposes the administration next week. Anyone who holds "anti-American" views, as defined by whatever this administration thinks is anti-American.

The ACLU is pushing governors and mayors to withdraw from Joint Terrorism Task Forces ^[4]. Some states are reconsidering whether to participate in federal programs designed to criminalize dissent.

Courts will eventually weigh in. But that takes years. In the meantime, NSPM-7 is active, the investigations are running, and federal agents are showing up at activists' homes asking questions.

The government keeps a list of Americans it considers terrorists. You can't see it. You can't challenge it. And if you're on it, you won't know until agents come knocking.

That's where we are now.

Sources

Published: March 7, 2026