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At a White House policy meeting, Kristi Noem this week likened the loose network of antifascist activists to MS-13, the Gaza-based organization, Hezbollah and ISIS, calling the loosely affiliated protesters “just as dangerous” as officially recognized terror groups.

“They are just as sophisticated as Mara Salvatrucha, as TDA [Tren de Aragua], as the Islamic State, as the Lebanese militia, as the Palestinian faction, each one of these, they pose the same level of threat,” Noem said. “They have an agenda to destroy us, similar to other extremist groups we’ve dealt with for many, many years.”

The discussion featured rightwing social media journalists such as Andy Ngo, Nick Sortor, Katie Daviscourt and others who cover anti-fascist demonstrations.

Several organizations mentioned by the secretary – the Palestinian, Lebanese, and jihadist factions – are officially classified as terror groups that hold land, run armed branches, have hierarchical leadership and have carried out mass casualty attacks including bombings, abductions and targeted killings.

Extremism experts have long described antifa, in comparison, as having no centralized leadership, formal membership or structured hierarchy, and it has often been portrayed by federal law enforcement as a decentralized movement of campaigners who participate in demonstrations, portions of which involve property destruction and street violence.

This meeting follows an executive order issued in September designating antifa as a “homegrown terror group”.

Shortly prior to the declaration, Joe Biggs who was convicted and then pardoned for his role on January 6 posted on X: “Who is prepared to pursue anti-fascist activists? Because I know a few guys.”