New crackdowns on immigrants and Muslims are coming days after the attack in Boulder, Colorado by an Egyptian man on a group of activists advocating for the release of Israelis held by Hamas.
Invoking the attack in Boulder, US President Donald Trump announced a travel ban on 12 mainly Muslim-majority countries. Some legislators are seeking to expand the designation of terrorism. And the administration is ramping up immigration arrest quotas, as they seek to deport the family of the Boulder attack suspect.
On Sunday, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, a 45-year-old Egyptian national, threw a flamethrower and Molotov cocktails into a group of pro-Israeli demonstrators, wounding 12, some of them critically. He had reportedly planned the attack for over a year, told police he would do it again, and said that his goal was "to target Zionists".
The incident took place two weeks after a fatal attack on Israeli embassy staff in Washington, DC. In both cases, the suspects were heard shouting "Free Palestine" at the scenes.
Both incidents were widely condemned across the political spectrum, including from Muslim groups and politicians on the left, who are often criticised for not sufficiently speaking out on antisemitism.
"I am horrified by last night's horrific attack in Boulder. My heart is with the victims and our Jewish communities across the country," wrote Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on X.
"Antisemitism is on the rise here at home, and we have a moral responsibility to confront and stop it everywhere it exists," she wrote.
"This attack on the Run for Our Lives march in Boulder was a heinous and unacceptable crime. The person who perpetrated this violence in Boulder is a criminal whose unacceptable actions do not, in any way, represent the countless Americans of diverse backgrounds who are peacefully advocating for an end to the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. Peaceful protests, political engagement, and civil disobedience are the only ways to change policies in our nation," said the Council on American-Islamic Relations in a public statement.
The group continued its statement by predicting the backlash that would ensue in the coming days.
"As we speak out against this unacceptable crime in Boulder, we also reject the cynical attempts by anti-Palestinian racists and anti-Muslim extremists who seek to use this attack to justify their own bigotry and their war on free speech in America," they said.
Trump announced the long-expected travel ban on Wednesday, with the Boulder attack reportedly being an impetus for the timing, saying that the US "will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm and nothing will stop us from keeping America safe."
The countries include: Afghanistan, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, while those from another seven countries will be subject to partial bans, starting on 9 June (Egypt is not part of the ban).
Also, this week, several lawmakers made a push for the Muslim Brotherhood, which Soliman had expressed support for over the years, as a terrorist organisation.
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who is leading the effort for the designation, reportedly said on Tuesday that "the Muslim Brotherhood used the Biden administration to consolidate and deepen their influence, but the Trump administration and Republican Congress can no longer afford to avoid the threat they pose to Americans and American national security."
On Monday, Representative Randy Fine of Florida said that the Council on American-Islamic Relations should be designated as "a terrorist organisation".
"I'm angry that we've allowed this to get there, I'm angry that we've allowed Muslim terror to operate unfettered in this country," he declared to Jewish Insider. "Make no mistake, the Palestinian cause is fundamentally a broken, evil philosophy."
This week also saw the announcement of a 3,000 undocumented migrant arrests per day, though it's unclear if any specific nationalities are being targeted for the arrests. Soliman's family have been arrested.