Texas Designation Sparks Legal and Civil-Rights Battle
On November 18, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that the state had designated the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as "foreign terrorist organizations" and "transnational criminal organizations," and said the designations would bar those organizations and their affiliates from purchasing or acquiring real estate in Texas.
The prohibition stems from legislation the Texas Legislature approved earlier in the year that restricts land ownership by entities tied to specified foreign countries and groups. The statutes already named China, Iran, North Korea and Russia; under the new framework the governor may add additional countries or organizations to the list.
Abbott said the measure protects state infrastructure and border security, arguing hostile foreign adversaries and transnational terrorist groups "must not be allowed to own land in Texas" and that violators would face stiff criminal penalties.
Critics have questioned both the factual basis for the designations and the procedure used to impose economic penalties. Civil liberties groups point out that an executive proclamation is not the same as a criminal conviction and that depriving organizations of property rights without meaningful process raises First Amendment and Equal Protection concerns. According to reporting, the Texas Department of Public Safety was directed to open criminal investigations into CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood two days after the designations were announced.
Allegations, History, and Important Clarifications
CAIR, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, says its mission is to "enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims." In 2007 CAIR was named as an "unindicted co-conspirator" in the federal "Holy Land" case related to alleged funding of Hamas; CAIR has denied criminal wrongdoing. More recently, independent groups published a report alleging CAIR diverted some refugee-related funds to political advocacy — an accusation CAIR also disputes.
The Muslim Brotherhood is a transnational Islamist movement that has been linked by some researchers and governments to groups that have used violence; several foreign governments have designated it as unlawful or extremist. Important correction: the U.S. federal government has not formally designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization. Establishing legal or operational links to the Brotherhood in the United States is often complex and typically requires investigation and evidence.
Legal Response and Broader Implications
CAIR-Texas, together with allied lawyers including the Muslim Legal Fund of America, filed suit to block the Texas proclamation and the purchase restrictions. Plaintiffs argue the order violates constitutional protections by denying economic and expressive rights without due process and by discriminating on the basis of political association and national origin.
Observers emphasize the constitutional and practical stakes: if state executives can use labeling power to strip organizations or individuals of economic rights without judicial review, critics warn that political opponents could be marginalized by administrative fiat. The controversy has drawn comparisons to prior instances where watchlists or administrative pressure were used against political targets, and it raises questions about the boundaries between state policing powers and fundamental civil liberties.
The legal fight is ongoing. Courts will likely have to resolve whether Texas’s statutory framework and the governor’s designations meet constitutional standards and whether state action can impose economic penalties of this type without judicial process or federal direction.
