Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Tuesday that he has opened undercover investigations into “leftist terror cells” in the Lone Star State to combat the rise of political violence.
“Leftist political terrorism is a clear and present danger. Corrupted ideologies like transgenderism and Antifa are a cancer on our culture and have unleashed their deranged and drugged-up foot soldiers on the American people,” Paxton said in a statement.
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The Republican cited last month’s murder of Turning Point USA cofounder Charlie Kirk as a primary reason for launching the investigations to infiltrate left-wing extremists engaging in violence.
Kirk is suspected to have been killed by Tyler Robinson, who appears to lean more toward the progressive side of the aisle based on his bullet casings engraved with left-wing messages and other evidence gathered so far.
“The martyrdom of Charlie Kirk marks a turning point in America. There can be no compromise with those who want us dead,” Paxton added. “To that end, I have directed my office to continue its efforts to identify, investigate, and infiltrate these leftist terror cells. To those demented souls who seek to kill, steal, and destroy our country, know this: you cannot hide, you cannot escape, and justice is coming.”
Paxton’s office did not disclose which groups it is targeting, but the move comes over two weeks after President Donald Trump designated antifa as a domestic terrorist organization.
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In the wake of Kirk’s death, Trump vowed to target the illegal operations and funding sources of left-wing networks. Paxton’s office said it is “building on” Trump’s executive order with the undercover operations in Texas.
Tuesday’s announcement also follows a gunman shooting and killing two illegal immigrants detained at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Dallas. The now-deceased alleged shooter, identified as Joshua Jahn, had suspected “anti-ICE” messaging on the bullet casings used in the attack.