Islamic Group That GOP Senator Says Has ‘Ties to Hamas’ to Hold Nationwide Anti-ICE Rally

Congressional Republicans condemned the Council on American-Islamic Relations after it urged Americans to protest because “ICE is out of control and must be stopped.”

A Jan. 28 press release from CAIR encouraged people to join nationwide protests against ICE scheduled for Jan. 30.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-UT., told The Daily Signal that Americans should not be listening to the demands of a group that has “ties to Hamas” in the first place.

“Americans support secure borders and deporting foreign nationals who are here illegally,” Lee said. “The last people they will be listening to are the activists at CAIR with ties to Hamas. Indeed, they might cause even more Americans to support ICE.”

One of the founders of the House’s Sharia Free America Caucus, Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas., told The Daily Signal that “of course the terrorist organization that is CAIR is endorsing calls for a nationwide strike against ICE.

“They despise law and order and deliberately foment chaos across the country so they can more readily impose their Islamic extremism on the rest of us,” Self continued.

CAIR is trying to “impose their Islamic extremism on the rest of us,” Self added.

When The Daily Signal contacted CAIR for comment, the group referred The Daily Signal to a statement that claimed ICE engages in “breaches of law and order and violations of civil rights” that “must stop immediately.”

In late 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that designated CAIR and elements of the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations for their alleged financial ties to Islamic terrorist organizations like Hamas.

After CAIR pushed for a Sharia Law-only Islamic compound known as EPIC City outside of Houston in May, Texas Gov. Greg Abbot signed legislation in September to ban Sharia Law and Sharia Law-only compounds in the state. CAIR condemned the legislation as “racist” and “Islamophobic.”

In November, Abbott signed legislation designating CAIR as a foreign terrorist organization, which banned its operations in the state.

On Tuesday, Abbott pushed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to revoke the organization’s non-profit status.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed an executive order targeting CAIR as well.

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