Florida Governor Labels Major Muslim Rights Group as 'Terrorist Organization' in Escalating Legal Battle
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis designated the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations through an executive order issued Monday, prompting the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights group to immediately announce legal action against what it termed an “unconstitutional” and “defamatory” proclamation, according to ABC News. The move comes less than a month after Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a similar declaration, setting up what legal experts predict will be protracted court battles over state versus federal authority in terrorism designations, according to WUSF.
State Action Contradicts Federal Classification
Neither CAIR nor the Muslim Brotherhood appears on the U.S. State Department’s official list of designated foreign terrorist organizations, creating a stark contradiction between state and federal classifications, according to The New York Times. Florida’s designation operates solely at the state level and lacks the legal authority of federal terrorism designations, which can only be granted by the U.S. State Department under the Immigration and Nationality Act, as reported by Fox News.
The executive order instructs Florida agencies to block both organizations and those providing them material support from obtaining contracts, employment, and funding from any state executive or cabinet agency, according to Al Jazeera. “Florida agencies are hereby directed to undertake all lawful measures to prevent unlawful activities by these organisations, including denying privileges or resources to anyone providing material support,” DeSantis stated in a post on X that shared the order, according to Times of India.
CAIR Responds with Legal Challenge
Founded in 1994, CAIR operates 25 chapters nationwide and has consistently condemned terrorism and violence, according to WUSF. In an emailed statement, CAIR and its Florida chapter announced plans to file a federal lawsuit challenging the designation. “Since Ron DeSantis assumed the governorship of Florida, he has focused on serving the Israeli government over the constituents of Florida,” CAIR stated, referencing DeSantis conducting his inaugural official cabinet meeting in Israel and redirecting millions in Florida taxpayer funds to Israeli government bonds, according to Al Jazeera.
DeSantis’s order contends that CAIR was “established by individuals associated with the Muslim Brotherhood,” which the governor alleged—without providing evidence—was working to create “a global Islamic caliphate” with direct connections to Hamas, according to Al Jazeera. CAIR has consistently rejected any claims linking it financially to Hamas or other extremist groups, according to The New York Post.
Following Texas’s Template
The Florida action mirrors Texas Governor Abbott’s November 18 proclamation that designated both organizations as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal entities under Texas law, according to JURIST. CAIR filed a federal lawsuit against Texas on November 21, arguing Abbott’s move violated constitutional rights to due process, free speech, and religious liberty, according to reporting by multiple outlets.
DeSantis separately wrote on X that members of the Florida Legislature “are crafting legislation to stop the creep of sharia law, and I hope that they codify these protections for Floridians against CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood in their legislation,” according to Times of India. The Muslim Brotherhood, established in Egypt nearly a century ago, has branches worldwide, and its leaders say the organization renounced violence decades ago and seeks to establish Islamic rule through elections and peaceful means, according to WUSF.
Constitutional Questions and Future Implications
Legal experts have raised significant constitutional concerns that state-level terrorism designations may conflict with federal foreign policy authority, according to JURIST. The designation comes amid ongoing debate over whether state governors have the authority to designate organizations as terrorist groups when the federal government has not.
The proclamation represents the latest in a series of actions targeting Muslim organizations in Republican-governed states. At the federal level, legislation such as the “Designate CAIR as a Terrorist Organization Act” was introduced in Congress in June 2025, directing the Secretary of State to review whether CAIR meets criteria for federal designation, according to congressional records. Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously indicated in August that the State Department was “actively pursuing moves” to designate CAIR and other pro-Palestine groups as terrorist organizations. However, such designations require extensive legal review to withstand court challenges.