Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
Fact check: How does the FBI define and identify domestic terrorism threats, particularly in relation to marginalized communities?
Executive Summary
The core claim circulating in September 2025 is that the FBI has introduced a new investigative category called “Nihilistic Violent Extremism” (NVE) and is reportedly considering applying that, or a related label, to transgender people — a move that civil‑rights groups say risks stigmatizing a marginalized community [1] [2] [3]. Reporting from mid‑ to late‑September 2025 shows the FBI describing an uptick in ideologically unmoored violence while separate political actors and advocacy groups push for new threat categories; the tension between operational threat‑tracking and potential profiling is central to interpreting these developments [1] [2] [3].
1. Why the FBI created a new label and what it covers — understanding NVE as a practical tool
The FBI’s NVE designation is described as an operational category for perpetrators who commit violence without clear loyalty to conventional ideologies, motivated by generalized hostility toward institutions and a desire to cause chaos. Reporting on September 17, 2025 highlights the bureau’s view that a substantial portion of recent domestic terrorism investigations fit this pattern, and agencies are tracking the phenomenon because case numbers rose sharply in 2025 [1]. The label’s stated purpose is forensic and analytic: to capture actors who don’t fit existing definitions like white supremacists or foreign‑inspired groups, enabling investigators to detect patterns, methods, and networks that traditional ideology‑based frameworks miss [1].
2. The specific allegation: labeling transgender people as a threat and the supporting actors behind it
Multiple September 2025 reports allege the FBI considered or was pressured to categorize transgender people as Nihilistic Violent Extremists (NVEs) or a variant called Transgender Ideology‑Inspired Violent Extremism (TIVE), driven in part by conservative think tanks and Project 2025‑affiliated actors such as the Heritage Foundation, which launched a petition advocating the designation [2]. These pieces emphasize that the push for a trans‑specific label comes from political advocates, not from published empirical FBI findings linking transgender populations to sustained patterns of violence. The reporting dates cluster around September 19–20, 2025, reflecting a rapid media cycle around the claim [2].
3. Pushback from civil‑rights advocates and the absence of empirical evidence
Civil‑rights organizations and experts warned that creating a label tied to gender identity would criminalize a vulnerable group without factual basis, potentially enabling discriminatory policing and state‑backed exclusion, and they stressed that news accounts did not show evidence of trans people committing violence at rates that would warrant a new category [3]. Reports from September 19–20, 2025 note that opponents view the proposal as politically motivated and fear it could legitimize anti‑trans rhetoric and policy. The critiques focus on both empirical deficits and foreseeable harm to community trust with law enforcement [3].
4. Broader domestic‑terrorism context: accelerationism, NSPM‑7, and shifting threat indicators
Contemporaneous coverage situates NVE amid other shifts: former FBI personnel and analysts point to accelerationist white‑nationalist movements as a distinct, evolving danger, while the Trump administration’s NSPM‑7 reportedly broadened what federal agencies may treat as indicators of radical or political violence, framing certain oppositionist beliefs as potential warning signs [4] [5]. These developments imply a federal landscape where both non‑ideological violence and ideologically driven accelerationism are policy priorities, and where definitional changes in guidance can reshape investigations — a dynamic that raises questions about scope, civil liberties, and who gets labeled as a threat [4] [5].
5. Assessing credibility: what the public reporting proves and what it does not
The contemporaneous articles collectively establish three verifiable points: the FBI articulated or documented NVE as a category in mid‑September 2025, there was a documented spike in investigations framed as NVE cases, and political actors publicly lobbied for a trans‑specific designation [1] [2]. What remains unproven in the public record presented here is that the FBI formally adopted a policy to label transgender individuals as NVEs or that empirical data supports such a targeting decision. The available reporting shows advocacy pressure and internal debate rather than a finalized, evidence‑based FBI directive [2] [3].
6. Implications for marginalized communities and policy choices ahead
If policymakers or law‑enforcement agencies adopt labels tied to identity categories, the practical effects could include increased surveillance, reduced community cooperation, and amplified stigma—outcomes highlighted by civil‑rights groups in late‑September 2025 [3]. Conversely, the bureau’s move to recognize non‑ideological violent actors addresses a real tactical gap, which proponents argue is necessary to counter diverse threats [1]. The choice before agencies and lawmakers is whether to refine analytic tools to capture complex violence while explicitly protecting civil‑liberties safeguards and avoiding identity‑based profiling; the reporting shows debate but not resolution as of September 2025 [1] [3].