Texas governor Greg Abbott declared the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair) and the Muslim Brotherhood to be “foreign terrorist organizations” on Tuesday, prohibiting them from acquiring property in the state and authorizing legal action to shut down affiliated entities.
The move marks a massive escalation in Abbott’s confrontation with Muslim organizations and communities in Texas, though states have no authority to designate foreign terrorist organizations on behalf of the US.
“The actions taken by the Muslim Brotherhood and Cair to support terrorism across the globe and subvert our laws through violence, intimidation and harassment are unacceptable,” Abbott said in a statement. “These radical extremists are not welcome in our state and are now prohibited from acquiring any real property interest in Texas.”
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, only the US secretary of state can officially designate foreign terrorist organizations, following consultation with the attorney general and treasury secretary. The process requires congressional notification and publication in the Federal Register.
The impact of the action by Abbott, who this month announced that he is intending to run again for the governor’s seat next November, is limited to Texas state law enforcement and authorizes the state attorney general to sue organizations deemed affiliated with Cair or the Muslim Brotherhood, though Abbott’s office has not specified how it will determine affiliation or what enforcement actions it plans to take.
The designation carries no federal immigration consequences, asset-freezing powers or criminal penalties under federal material support statutes that accompany legitimate federal terrorist designations.
Cair is a Washington-based Muslim civil rights organization that has operated chapters across the United States for decades and provides legal services to Muslim Americans facing discrimination. Cair has consistently rejected accusations of terrorist ties.
Cair did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement posted on X, the group said: “Greg Abbott is an Israel First politician who has spent months stoking anti-Muslim hysteria to smear American Muslims critical of the Israeli government.”
The statement continued: “Unlike Mr. Abbott – who unleashed violence against Texas students protesting the Gaza genocide to satisfy his AIPAC donors – our civil rights organization is an independent voice that answers to the American people, relies on support from the American people, and opposes all forms of unjust violence, including hate crimes, ethnic cleansing, genocide and terrorism.” Cair also noted the group has successfully sued Abbott three times for first amendment violations.
The designation follows growing targeting of Texas’s Muslim community on social media, and months of state action against Epic City, a proposed 400-acre Muslim community development near Josephine, north-east of Dallas. Abbott has called it a “sharia compound” and launched multiple investigations this year into alleged violations of consumer protection and funeral service laws.
In September, the Texas workforce commission resolved fair housing allegations against Epic City through a conciliation agreement requiring the development’s leadership to undergo fair housing training and implement non-discriminatory policies. The US Department of Justice closed a similar investigation in June.
Abbott signed legislation in March specifically targeting Epic City’s business structure. The Texas rangers are investigating the project for unspecified potential criminal activity.
“The Muslim Brotherhood and Cair have long made their goals clear: to forcibly impose sharia law and establish Islam’s ‘mastership of the world’,” Abbott said in his press release.
