Domestic terrorism laws have historically affected communities of color, particularly South Asians, Arab Americans, and non-white Muslims. More recently, terrorism laws have also been used to ramp up immigration enforcement against undocumented people, largely Latines. Congress passed astronomical budgets to close borders, ramped up enforcement in local communities, and created the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Later came the raids, the persecution of undocumented people in their own communities, Real ID requirements — laws that made it impossible for undocumented people to drive legally — and therefore the criminalization of traffic violations like driving without a license, which, coupled with police participating in programs like 287g, led to the incarceration, deportation, and separation of countless families.
