Florida CAIR Chapter Vows Legal Fight After DeSantis Labels Group, Muslim Brotherhood 'Foreign Terrorist Organizations'

The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced plans to sue Governor Ron DeSantis after he signed an executive order designating CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as "foreign terrorist organizations." The move has prompted sharp criticism from civil liberties advocates and renewed debate over whether states can independently assign terrorism labels that carry heavy reputational and legal consequences.

CAIR Promises Court Challenge

At a Tampa news conference, Hiba Rahim, CAIR-Florida’s deputy executive director, called the governor’s order an unfounded attack rooted in conspiracy theories and compared it to historical campaigns that targeted immigrant and minority communities, including Jewish, Irish and Italian Americans. "We are very proud to defend the founding principles of our Constitution, to defend free speech," Rahim said. "We are proud to defend democracy, and we are proud to be America first." She added that CAIR will not back down and will defend its rights in court.

DeSantis Defends the Designation

Governor Ron DeSantis defended the action, telling reporters his administration has sufficient grounds for the designation and that he welcomed a legal challenge. He described the executive order as "a long time coming" and said he expects state lawmakers to pursue related legislation when the Florida legislature reconvenes in January, calling the order "the beginning."

Scope Of The Executive Order

DeSantis' directive bars Florida state agencies from awarding contracts, hiring employees, or distributing funds to CAIR, the Muslim Brotherhood, or any organization found to have materially supported them. The order therefore has immediate practical effects on state interactions with listed groups, even though it differs from federal terrorism designations.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a proclamation designating CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as "foreign terrorist organizations."

Legal And Constitutional Challenges

Attorney Miranda Margolis, speaking at the Tampa event, argued the governor exceeded his legal authority by unilaterally labeling a nonprofit as a terrorist organization. "This designation is without legal or factual basis and constitutes a dangerous escalation of anti-Muslim political rhetoric," she said.

Legal experts note state-level terrorism designations do not carry the same statutory weight as federal Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) listings, which are issued only by the U.S. State Department after a formal federal process. CAIR argues the Florida order violates its First Amendment free-speech protections and due-process rights and contends that terrorism designations are a federal responsibility.

Broader Context

The Florida action follows a similar proclamation by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, which CAIR has already challenged in federal court. Last month, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to begin a federal process to consider designating certain chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization, underscoring that discussion over such labels is active at multiple government levels.

What’s next: CAIR has signaled it will file suit in federal court challenging the Florida order. The litigation is likely to focus on constitutional claims (First Amendment and due process) and whether a state can lawfully impose what has historically been a federal designation.

The Associated Press contributed to reporting on this story.