Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday convened leaders from more than 60 countries to take part in the Trump administration’s latest effort to quell what it calls “left-wing” political terrorism, a marquee issue for Republicans heading into the midterm elections. Rubio and other U.S. officials painted a dark image of the future if the “communists and Marxists” perpetrating these supposed acts are not defeated.

Addressing the Issue

Rubio urged officials in attendance — mostly from European and Latin American countries — to unite to address the issue, which he says has been a “blind spot” in counterterrorism doctrine. A report published last year by the Center for Strategic and International Studies found that left-wing terrorism attacks had surpassed those from the far right for the first time in over 30 years.

The Trump administration has started to target left-wing efforts through sanctions. In November, the State Department designated four antifa or anti-fascist groups in Europe as foreign terrorist organizations. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said targeting these groups and entities’ financial networks is the best way to circumvent their efforts.

Rubio announced a new policy that would give the department a wide latitude to restrict visas to members of these supposed groups who have supported or incited acts of terrorism, including those who have supported these efforts financially, aided recruitment, or provided logistical assistance.

Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.