Florida Approves Process To Designate CAIR, Muslim Brotherhood, Antifa As Terror Groups

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state Cabinet approved a rule Friday establishing the process for designating domestic and foreign terrorist organizations, clearing the way for the state to formally designate the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Muslim Brotherhood, and Antifa.

The vote took less than two minutes and came about two months after DeSantis announced that Florida’s Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass had recommended designating the three groups.

The new rule implements a Florida law that took effect earlier this year that gives Glass, the state’s chief of domestic security, authority to recommend terrorist designations. The governor and Cabinet must then approve the designation.

Under the process approved Friday, a designation would take effect 30 days after being published in the Florida Administrative Register. An organization would have seven days after receiving notice to object in writing and submit documentation.

“As Florida chief of domestic security, I know there are imminent dangers to public health, safety, and welfare due to increasing risks from foreign and domestic terrorist groups,” Glass told local media Friday.

“This provides an appropriate framework where they can take action appropriately so that they can defend the people of Florida against possible actors and terrorist groups,” DeSantis said before moving to approve the rule.

The underlying law bars state agencies, local governments, and public schools from using state funds to support designated organizations. It also creates criminal penalties for knowingly providing material support or resources to a designated domestic terrorist organization.

Public schools and universities are prohibited from using state or federal funds for programs that promote designated terrorist organizations. The law also contains restrictions affecting students who promote such groups, including the possible loss of financial assistance and reporting requirements for students attending on visas.

The measure passed the Florida Senate 25-11 and received final approval from the state House in an 80-25 vote before DeSantis signed it in April. The law took effect July 1.

The designation effort is already facing two federal lawsuits. CAIR and CAIR Florida sued after DeSantis issued a December 2025 executive order labeling CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood foreign terrorist organizations for purposes of state action.

In March, U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of that order against CAIR, finding that it likely violated the First Amendment. The DeSantis administration appealed the ruling two days later.

CAIR, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other attorneys, filed a separate lawsuit in July challenging the new state law. The organization argues that the designation system is unconstitutional and that Florida has no legitimate basis for labeling it a terrorist organization.

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott designated the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist organizations and transnational criminal organizations in November 2025. The Texas designations subjected the organizations and their affiliates to heightened penalties under state law and prohibited them from acquiring real property in the state. Abbott subsequently directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to investigate the two organizations for potential violations of state and federal law.

The Trump administration has also taken action against individual Muslim Brotherhood branches. The Treasury Department and State Department designated the Egyptian and Jordanian branches as Specially Designated Global Terrorists, citing their alleged material support for Hamas. The State Department separately designated the Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood in January, while the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood was designated in March.

Neither CAIR nor the Muslim Brotherhood as a whole has received a federal terrorist designation.

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