Florida and Texas declare CAIR a terror group, setting up a constitutional fight

Overview

Updated May 10

In less than a month, Texas and Florida governors branded CAIR, the country's largest Muslim civil rights group, a "foreign terrorist organization." Both states ordered cuts to contracts, jobs, and funding. CAIR calls it a smear campaign; the governors say they're targeting Hamas-linked extremists.

The stakes reach far beyond one nonprofit. At issue is whether governors can unilaterally slap the terrorism label on domestic advocacy groups, sidestep federal authority, and punish political opponents (especially Muslim critics of U.S. and Israeli policy), all without facing constitutional challenge.

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Key Indicators

States labeling CAIR a terrorist group

Texas and Florida have now declared CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood “foreign terrorist organizations.”

Federal terror listings for CAIR or Muslim Brotherhood

Neither group appears on the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Terrorist Organization list.

500,000

Muslim residents in Florida

CAIR estimates about half a million Muslims in Florida directly feel the order’s chill.

CAIR chapters nationwide

Local chapters in many states could face copycat actions or backlash from these designations.

Voices

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People Involved

Ron DeSantis

Governor of Florida

Defending executive order labeling CAIR and Muslim Brotherhood terrorist groups

Greg Abbott

Governor of Texas

Facing federal lawsuit over CAIR terrorist designation and land-ownership ban

Hiba Rahim

Deputy Executive Director, CAIR-Florida

Leading public and legal pushback against Florida’s terrorist designation

Nihad Awad

National Executive Director, CAIR

Coordinating national legal and political response to Texas and Florida designations

Donald Trump

U.S. President

Ordered review to designate certain Muslim Brotherhood chapters as terrorist organizations

Organizations Involved

Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)

Civil Rights Organization

Designated a terrorist group by Texas and Florida; suing and vowing more challenges

The largest Muslim civil rights group in the U.S., now fighting to clear its name.

State of Florida – Governor’s Office

State Government

Issued executive order labeling CAIR and Muslim Brotherhood terrorist organizations

Florida’s governor is testing how far a state can go in defining terrorism.

State of Texas – Governor’s Office

State Government

First state to label CAIR a foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organization

Texas pioneered using state powers to brand CAIR a terrorist and criminal organization.

Muslim Brotherhood

Transnational Islamist Movement

Symbolic target of state and federal designations push

A nearly century-old Islamist movement now central to U.S. political battles over terrorism labels.

Timeline

October 2023 December 2025

8 events Latest: December 10th, 2025 · 9 months ago

Tap a bar to jump to that date

December 2025
DeSantis doubles down, invites discovery fight
Latest Statement

Questioned by reporters, DeSantis says he “welcomes” CAIR’s lawsuit, framing it as a chance to subpoena the group’s bank records and hinting at follow-up legislation in the next session.
December 10th, 2025
Florida follows Texas, declares CAIR a foreign terrorist organization
Policy

Governor Ron DeSantis issues an executive order labeling CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood foreign terrorist organizations, instructing state agencies to deny them contracts, employment, and funding.
December 9th, 2025
CAIR-Florida vows lawsuit and warns of rising Islamophobia
Legal

At a Tampa news conference, CAIR-Florida leaders call the order conspiratorial and unconstitutional, promise a lawsuit, and warn it will intensify Islamophobic harassment and threats.
December 9th, 2025
November 2025
Trump orders review to label Muslim Brotherhood chapters terrorists
Policy

A White House order directs State and Treasury to assess whether Muslim Brotherhood branches in countries like Egypt and Lebanon should be designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations and global terrorists.
November 24th, 2025
CAIR sues Texas over terrorist label
Legal

CAIR’s Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin chapters file a federal lawsuit, arguing Abbott’s proclamation violates the Constitution and Texas law and punishes their viewpoints.
November 20th, 2025
Texas brands CAIR and Muslim Brotherhood terrorist, criminal groups
Policy

Governor Greg Abbott proclaims CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood “foreign terrorist organizations” and “transnational criminal organizations,” barring them and affiliates from purchasing land in Texas.
November 18th, 2025
January 2025
Trump restarts expansive use of terrorist designations
Policy

Trump signs an order initiating the process to re-designate Yemen’s Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, previewing broader reliance on FTO tools.
January 22nd, 2025
October 2023
Hamas attack on Israel reshapes U.S. debate on Islamism and Gaza
Background

Hamas fighters kill about 1,200 people in Israel; Israel’s response devastates Gaza, fueling intense U.S. polarization and scrutiny of Muslim and pro-Palestinian advocacy.
October 7th, 2023

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

2001–2009

The Holy Land Foundation Terrorism Case

The Texas-based Holy Land Foundation, once the largest Muslim charity in the U.S., was shut down after 9/11 and its leaders convicted of providing material support to Hamas. Prosecutors and critics linked some former leaders and donors to broader Muslim organizations, including CAIR, feeding long-running accusations of hidden Hamas networks.

Then

The charity was dismantled, several officials received long prison sentences, and Muslim donors became more cautious.

Now

Supporters still challenge aspects of the case, but politicians now routinely cite it to imply that mainstream Muslim groups mask extremism.

Why this matters now

Abbott and DeSantis lean on similar narratives of “front groups” and guilt by association to justify branding CAIR a terrorist organization.

2015–2023

State Anti-BDS Laws Challenged in Court

More than 30 states passed laws penalizing boycotts of Israel, often requiring contractors to certify they wouldn’t support BDS. Teachers, journalists and small businesses sued, arguing the laws compelled political speech and punished constitutionally protected boycotts.

Then

Several laws were blocked or narrowed after federal courts found them likely violated the First Amendment.

Now

The cases established that states cannot condition public work on renouncing certain political boycotts.

Why this matters now

Those rulings are a roadmap for CAIR: courts have already signaled skepticism toward state efforts to punish pro-Palestinian advocacy through contract and employment rules.

Late 1940s–1950s

McCarthy-Era Blacklists of ‘Subversive’ Organizations

During the early Cold War, federal and state authorities compiled lists of allegedly communist or subversive organizations and used loyalty oaths, hearings, and blacklists to push them out of public life. Membership or association alone could cost people jobs, contracts, or reputations, often without meaningful due process.

Then

Thousands lost work or were ostracized, and political dissent on the left was chilled nationwide.

Now

Courts later curtailed many of these practices, reinforcing protections for association and political speech.

Why this matters now

The CAIR fight revives questions about whether governments can stigmatize disfavored groups as security threats and quietly punish their supporters.