A recent analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice has found that “despite the prevalence of high-profile mass killings by white perpetrators, Muslims and other minority groups are explicitly targeted in 85 percent” of the Department of Homeland Security grants to Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) programs.
The latest analysis reveals that the Trump administration has provided funds to further surveil Muslim communities, as well as Black Lives Matter activists, LGBTQ Americans, immigrants, and refugees.
CVE programs, funded by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), have a long and troubled history dating to the Obama administration. These programs unfairly target Muslim communities as inherently susceptible to terrorism, with many citing political views and religious observance as signs of potential terrorist activity.
They conflate community services and intelligence gathering, often under false pretenses, undermining trust between communities and state and local agencies charged with providing them with services.
There is no evidence that such programs provide any national security benefit, which is unsurprising since they rely on theories and assumptions about terrorism that have long been debunked.
The Brennan Center’s latest analysis shows over 70 percent of federally supported CVE programs are premised on the unsupported conclusion that diversity and the experience of discrimination in America are suggestive of a national security threat.
Key findings of this report include:
- At least 85% of CVE grants, and over half of CVE programs, now explicitly target minority groups, including Muslims, LGBTQ Americans, Black Lives Matter Activists, immigrants, and refugees.
- The amount of CVE funding going to law enforcement has tripled, from $764,000 to $2,340,000.
- 14 of the 26 programs funded by the Department of Homeland Security target schools and students, some as young as 5 years old – often encouraging them to report suspicious behavior by parents or fellow students.
Read more on the Brennan Center for Justice website.
Download the full report here.
Related…
Human Rights and the Globalization of Counter-Extremism (Report, 2016)
Photo by LOGAN WEAVER | @LGNWVR on Unsplash
