The Southern Poverty Law Center works to dismantle white supremacy in public forums and online, exposes hate and anti-democracy extremism, and counters disinformation and conspiracy theories with research and community resources. The Intelligence Project monitors and exposes white supremacy and its impact on communities.
Anti-immigrant/anti-Muslim activity
- On Feb. 10 the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government held a hearing that stoked fear and conspiracy theories around the specter of sharia, or Islamic law. The hearing, titled “Sharia-Free America: Why Political Islam & Sharia Law Are Incompatible with the U.S. Constitution,” featured testimony from two representatives from anti-Muslim hate groups: Robert Spencer, director of Jihad Watch, and Krista Schild, Texas director of RAIR Foundation USA.
Militia and antigovernment movement activity
- Anti-student inclusion group Defending Education recently released a list of over 700 school districts in 33 states and Washington, D.C., that have passed resolutions or published guidance on immigration and the border. According to the group, “The vast majority of district resolutions or policies pertain to the district’s status as a ‘sanctuary’ or ‘safe haven’ school district, and include procedures for how district personnel should deal with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who come to a campus.” Defending Education’s Rhyen Staley has previously said about school policies and immigration that communities need to “put a stop to teachers unions and their nonprofit allies training minors to be street activists in service of a far-left political agenda.”
- In early February, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte announced that he wants all high schools in the state to have Turning Point USA (TPUSA) chapters, this was needed at a time when “our country is in need of God’s light.” Erika Kirk, the current leader of TPUSA and widow of the group’s founder Charlie Kirk, was on hand for the announcement. Gianforte made billions in the tech industry before entering Montana politics, and he helped to get TPUSA started.
- Defending Education, along with other anti-student inclusion groups like Moms for Liberty, Awake Illinois and Courage Is a Habit, have waded into the debate over immigration raids and arrests. They’ve publicly criticized student protests and often blame national and state teachers’ unions for indoctrinating students against ICE.
- Constitutional sheriffs are trying to stop in Washington state that would give authority to the Criminal Justice Training Commission to remove sheriffs from office if it determines they are unfit for the job. The Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA) has been rallying opposition to the bill, including holding a press conference and rally in the state. Speakers at the press event included CSPOA’s Richard Mack; conspiracy theorist and President Donald Trump-pardoned felon Michael Flynn; and Pierce County Sheriff . CSPOA claims the bill is “political lawfare against those who refuse to bow to bureaucratic mandates.” The legislation passed the Washington Senate and has been transferred to the House for consideration.
The Idaho Supreme Court against , an associate of antigovernment provocateur Ammon Bundy. Rodriguez was challenging an injunction that barred him from defaming St. Luke’s Health System. The ruling affirmed a district court finding Rodriguez and Bundy liable for over $52 million in damages against St. Luke’s. Rodriguez represented himself in the appeal, and Idaho’s highest court stated, “Rodriguez’s appeal lacked any reasonable basis in fact or law.”
- The U.S. Department of Justice’s ousting of Ed Martin Jr., who signed off on Trump’s pardon of Jan. 6 participants, exposes a possible cleavage within the president’s base. DOJ Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, a former personal lawyer for Trump, had worked to limit Martin’s influence, . On social media, some hard-right activists were angered by the move, including sovereign citizen Ann Vandersteel, who wrote, “Ed Martin is the face of justice … and that is why the DOJ removed him from Weaponization of Government … the swamp creatures are not about justice.”
- In February, speakers at the National Religious Broadcasters conference included David Barton and Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth. Hegseth, a member of Doug Wilson’s Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches denomination, claimed that all of the current administration’s policies are “biblical” and spoke of his political opponents as “the Godless left,” a key sentiment shared among Christian supremacist ideologies to make opponents seem evil and demonic. Barton is a Christian supremacist and historical revisionist behind much of the skewed historical foundations of the modern hard right. He warned attendees that Americans were forgetting the role religion played in the country’s history.
- In news concerning the Jeffrey Epstein files, hard-right leader and provocateur Steve Bannon, who was once a member of Trump’s first administration, apparently had Pope Francis in his sights. Bannon wrote Epstein about a documentary he wanted to make based on a book written by French journalist Frédéric Martel. As Religious News Service details, when the book was published, it “galvanized conservative outrage because it included claims stating that 80% of Vatican clergy are gay.” Bannon had approached Martel, and apparently Epstein, about the documentary, which has not been made, saying that they would be able to “take down Francis. The Clintons, Xi, Francis, EU — come on brother.”
Anti-Խ+ movement
- Anti-Խ+ hate group Family Research Council (FRC) announced its intention to create Pray Vote Stand chapters across the country to push back against “libertarianism” within the mainstream conservative political movement. In a Feb. 17 email, FRC President Tony Perkins wrote: “You see, there’s growing tension within the conservative movement where biblical truth is being replaced with libertarianism, which is essentially everyone doing what is right in their own eyes. Organizations and leaders typically thought of as conservative stalwarts are pursuing a ‘bigger tent’ approach. But conservatism without a foundation in objective morality isn’t enough and it won’t solve our country’s problems.”
White nationalist and neo-Nazi movement activity
- During a livestream in mid-February, notorious white nationalist and antisemite Nick Fuentes argued that “” because they have made people too sympathetic toward poor people and people of color. He argued they “have to be imprisoned.” His comments show the deeply intertwined nature of white nationalism and male supremacy.
- In early February, a group of white supremacist leaders from across the U.S. held an to discuss building whites-only communities. Hosted by Eric Orwoll, the leader of Return to the Land (RTTL), speakers at the conference included leaders of white supremacist groups in Europe, as well as leaders of U.S.-based groups and movements including the National Alliance, Patriot Front, Christian Identity and Asatru Folk Assembly. Orwoll, who is leading RTTL’s efforts to build a whites-only community in Arkansas, opened the conference and hit on a major theme mentioned throughout the event, blaming Jews, non-white people, migrants, members of Խ+ communities, and Muslims for attacking white people and culture, which pushed him to find ways to build a so-called “intentional community” that keeps these groups out.
Sovereign citizen activity
- Caesar Munir Wilson, a Minnesota man who advised sovereign citizens on taxes and trusts, is accused of attempting to swindle over $90 million in false tax refunds from the U.S. Treasury, and a said Wilson filed additional fraudulent returns requesting $210 million more. Through his machinations, Wilson is accused of fraudulently obtaining $19 million, which he spent on a mansion, cryptocurrency and other personal items. Wilson is charged with conspiracy to file false claims for tax refunds, filing a false claim for a tax refund, money laundering and bank fraud.
- In mid-February, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit rejected Eunice Salley’s request for a new trial. Salley, who operated a tax preparation business in Illinois, was convicted in 2022 of 22 counts of filing false tax returns and five counts of theft from an employer benefit plan. During her trial, Salley refused counsel and represented herself. She openly identified as a “Private Citizen of the United States/Private American National” to the court, which is a sovereign citizen. She argued that the court had no jurisdiction over her, which is a defense regularly used by sovereigns. She appealed the convictions, claiming the court erred by letting her represent herself; her claims were rejected, however, on the basis that she had knowingly and voluntarily waived counsel.
Confederate monuments
- In February the Virginia state House removing the tax-exempt status from Confederate-linked organizations, such as the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC). This would be a blow to the UDC in particular, which has fought against this legislation, claiming it is doing the work of historical preservation. The UDC has always supported white supremacist goals by promoting Lost Cause propaganda and efforts to erase the true history of slavery. The Virginia bill will go to the Senate in the coming weeks.
- The slavery exhibit outside George Washington’s house in Philadelphia , after the Trump administration ordered it removed. The city of Philadelphia sued the administration, and a judge ruled in the city’s favor. The Trump administration is appealing the decision; meanwhile, history has been restored. Since the panels were taken down in January, Philadelphians added their own reflections on American history, slavery, liberty, and racial justice on handwritten cards in their place.
Hate prevention
- Recent findings from the Pew Research Center show that four out of 10 parents have never discussed the use of artificial intelligence chatbots with their teens. When asked if their teens used AI chatbots, 51% of parents reported they had, 18% said they had not, and 28% were not sure. In the same study, 64% of U.S. teens reported using chatbots. As chatbots become more prevalent, it’s imperative that caregivers engage in open, nonjudgmental conversations about the uses, realities and risks of AI. Such conversations are foundational to authoritative parenting, the style of parenting recent PERIL and Խ research found was most effective for preventing and intervening in extremist radicalization. Խ’s recent “CARE Online & Off” guide provides guidance and resources for caregivers navigating those conversations, as well as support when young people encounter harmful content online.
Image at top: Steve Bannon and Jeffrey Epstein pose in this handout image released by the Democrats on the House Oversight Committee in Washington, D.C. on December 12, 2025. (House Oversight Committee Democrats/Handout via Alamy News)
