Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a proclamation Monday designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Transnational Criminal Organizations under state law, triggering significant criminal, civil, and property restrictions.
The order outlines the Muslim Brotherhood’s stated aims and global network, cites longstanding U.S. terrorism designations of its affiliates, and details federal findings that CAIR operated as a Hamas-linked front group. Abbott highlights convictions of CAIR-associated figures, the FBI’s suspension of formal contact with the group in 2008, and subsequent disputes over the Biden administration’s removal of CAIR from certain federal documents.
Texas statutes enacted in recent years allow the governor to classify foreign organizations that threaten state security, restrict foreign-controlled entities from acquiring land, and impose enhanced penalties for aiding designated groups. After consultations with the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Homeland Security Council, Abbott issued two formal designations.
The proclamation classifies both the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as Foreign Terrorist Organizations under Texas Penal Code § 71.01(e), subjecting them and anyone who assists them to heightened penalties under Chapter 125 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code. It also designates both groups as Transnational Criminal Organizations under Texas Property Code § 5.254, barring them and their affiliates from purchasing land in the state and subjecting them to mandatory divestment and additional penalties.
Source: Governor Greg Abbott on X
