New York, NY, October 5, 2018 …

ADL welcomed the administration’s new National Strategy for Counterterrorism’s recognition of the broad spectrum of extremist threats faced by the United States and other countries. The strategy document, released yesterday, comes as ADL issued a comprehensive new report on the white supremacist threat in the U.S., taking stock of the ideology and tactics of modern white supremacy and offering legislative and policy recommendations for lawmakers.

Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO and National Director, issued the following statement:

While the strategy is primarily focused on the Islamist extremist threat, the Administration’s plan acknowledges the wide range of threats faced by the United States, including domestic terrorists. This is an important recognition. We commend the need to prioritize different tools that counter radicalization and are encouraged by the strong focus on countering Iran’s destructive influence as the most prominent state sponsor of terrorism.

ADL has long sounded the alarm of the severe threat from extremists across the ideological spectrum. The Administration correctly notes that right-wing extremists, like white supremacists and anti-government extremists, are on the rise. As our data shows, non-Islamist terrorism is the most lethal extremist threat within the U.S. and we applaud the administration prioritizing domestic extremism in this new counterterrorism framework.

We also urge the Administration not to undermine their strategy by continuing to scapegoat Muslims, refugees, immigrants, and other marginalized communities. At a time of increased hate crimes and attacks on immigrants and refugees, we hope that in the course of implementing this strategy, building trust will also be prioritized and civil rights and liberties will be protected.

ADL’s legislative and administrative policy recommendations for addressing the threat of extremism include enacting a domestic terrorism statute, expanding dialogue between civil society and the tech sector, and improving federal responses to hate crimes