On October 3, 2025, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) made waves by announcing it had officially cut ties with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a well-known civil rights organization that has, for decades, tracked extremist groups across the United States. The move, confirmed in a public statement from FBI Director Kash Patel on X (formerly Twitter), comes after a period of mounting criticism from conservative figures and follows the recent assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
Director Patel did not mince words in his post: “The Southern Poverty Law Center long ago abandoned civil rights work and turned into a partisan smear machine. Their so-called ‘hate map’ has been used to defame mainstream Americans and even inspired violence. That disgraceful record makes them unfit for any FBI partnership.” Patel added that under his leadership, “all ties with the SPLC have officially been terminated.” According to Reuters, Patel’s decision was not entirely abrupt—the working relationship had already been winding down for months, per an unnamed Justice Department official.
The SPLC’s “Hate Map,” an interactive resource available since 2000, lists nearly 1,400 organizations it identifies as hate groups. Among them is Turning Point USA, the conservative youth group co-founded by Charlie Kirk. The SPLC describes Turning Point USA as an “anti-government” group and, on its website, defines such organizations as part of the “antidemocratic hard-right movement.” This designation has been a flashpoint for controversy, particularly after Kirk’s assassination in September 2025 during an appearance at a Utah college campus.
The suspect in the killing, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, reportedly acted alone. Prosecutors say Robinson told a roommate he was motivated by what he described as Kirk’s “hatred.” Authorities have not linked Robinson to any larger organization or conspiracy. Kirk’s death has nonetheless deepened concerns about the escalation of political violence in the United States, and, as Reuters and other outlets report, prompted President Donald Trump to intensify his rhetoric against what he calls the “radical left.”
Amid the fallout, the SPLC came under fire from a constellation of conservative voices. Elon Musk, who attended Kirk’s funeral, accused the SPLC of “incitement to murder Charlie Kirk” in a post on X, though he offered no evidence to support the charge. Musk’s criticism was echoed by Jack Posobiec, a frequent guest on Kirk’s podcast and self-described friend, and Andrew Kolvet, a spokesperson for Turning Point USA. In particular, Musk and others noted that Kirk had been mentioned in the SPLC’s ‘Hatewatch’ newsletter just one day before his killing, a coincidence that fueled conspiracy theories online.
Calls to sever the FBI’s relationship with the SPLC were amplified by far-right radio host Alex Jones and quickly gained traction among MAGA-aligned social media users. “Kash Patel Orders The FBI To Cut Ties With The ADL After They Listed Charlie Kirk / TPUSA As A Dangerous Extremist Organization. Now, The Equally Corrupt SPLC Is Next On The Chopping Block!” Jones wrote, referencing another high-profile split that had just occurred: two days before the SPLC announcement, the FBI ended its partnership with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a Jewish civil rights group that tracks antisemitism and other forms of hate. The ADL had previously included Turning Point USA in its “Glossary of Extremism and Hate,” but deleted the list from its website following criticism from Musk and other conservatives.
In its response to the FBI’s decision, the SPLC stood firm. “For decades, we have shared data and analysis with the public to protect civil rights and hold extremists accountable,” the organization said in a statement on October 3, 2025. “We remain committed to exposing hate and extremism as we work to equip communities with knowledge and defend the rights and safety of marginalized people.” The SPLC also emphasized that its hate map and related research have been public resources for years, available to law enforcement and the general public alike.
The SPLC’s interactive hate map, which has tracked hate groups for 25 years, allows users to zoom in on specific regions of the U.S. to identify organizations and the groups they are purportedly biased against. This data, which covers the period from 2000 to 2024, has been downloadable and widely cited in discussions about extremism and hate crimes. According to the Hindustan Times, the SPLC has provided information not only to the FBI but also to other law enforcement agencies over the years.
The decision to sever ties with both the SPLC and the ADL marks a significant shift in how the FBI engages with outside civil rights organizations. The ADL, for example, had previously conducted mandatory workshops on hate crimes, violent extremism, and antisemitism for new FBI agents and trainees at the agency’s academy in Virginia. Patel, however, has signaled a new direction, stating during an April panel on anti-Christian bias that the FBI “will never rely on politicized or agenda-driven intelligence from outside groups — and certainly not from the SPLC.”
This shift has sparked debate across the political spectrum. Supporters of the move argue that the SPLC and ADL have become too partisan, using their platforms to target mainstream conservative organizations and individuals. Critics, meanwhile, warn that cutting off these relationships could weaken the FBI’s ability to monitor and respond to hate crimes and extremism, especially as political violence becomes more frequent and deadly.
The controversy also highlights the increasingly fraught intersection of social media, political activism, and law enforcement. The role of high-profile figures like Elon Musk in shaping public discourse—and, arguably, influencing official decisions—cannot be overlooked. As Politico notes, the FBI’s announcement followed a week of intense online pressure from MAGA allies and other conservative influencers, underscoring how quickly narratives can shift in the digital age.
For now, the SPLC continues to defend its work and mission. Despite the FBI’s decision, the organization insists it will keep exposing hate and extremism wherever it finds them, “as we work to equip communities with knowledge and defend the rights and safety of marginalized people.” Whether the FBI’s new approach will improve or hinder efforts to combat extremism remains to be seen, but the debate over how best to define and address hate in America is unlikely to subside anytime soon.
The story of the FBI and the SPLC is, in many ways, a microcosm of the broader struggle over who gets to define hate—and who gets to decide how to fight it. With the stakes so high and the rhetoric so charged, every decision reverberates far beyond the walls of any one institution.
