In a move that has sent shockwaves through civil rights circles and the Muslim community, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a proclamation on November 18, 2025, declaring the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations. The unprecedented designation, which also bans members and affiliates of the named groups from purchasing or acquiring land in Texas, has sparked immediate legal action and ignited a fierce debate about constitutional rights, due process, and the boundaries of executive power.
According to The Texas Tribune, Abbott’s announcement came with a directive for the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) to launch criminal investigations into both CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood. The DPS, Abbott said, will work alongside FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces across the state to "gather intelligence and initiate investigations into potential violations of state and federal law." The governor framed the move as a necessary step to "identify, disrupt, and eradicate terrorist organizations engaged in criminal activities in Texas." He emphasized the state's intent to target "threats of violence, intimidation, and harassment of our citizens," and specifically mentioned a focus on groups or individuals "who unlawfully impose Sharia law," which he argued violates the Texas Constitution.
Yet, neither CAIR nor the Muslim Brotherhood is currently listed on the U.S. State Department’s official roster of foreign terrorist organizations. As The Hill and Nexstar Media reported, the State Department’s authority to make such designations is well established under federal law, with the Immigration and Nationality Act reserving this power for the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury. Legal experts and civil rights advocates have noted that Abbott’s proclamation is at odds with federal policy and raises questions about its enforceability.
Within hours of Abbott’s announcement, the CAIR Legal Defense Fund and the Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA) filed a federal lawsuit against Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The lawsuit, as described in a joint press release and covered by The Texas Tribune, alleges that the governor’s actions are "defamatory and find no basis in law or fact." The plaintiffs argue that Abbott’s proclamation empowers state officials to deprive Muslims of their right to own property in Texas, "creating an imminent risk of harm." They further claim that the designation violates CAIR’s First Amendment rights and constitutionally protected property rights.
At a virtual press conference held on November 20, 2025, CAIR Litigation Director and General Counsel Lena Masri underscored the gravity of the situation. "CAIR Legal Defense Fund has successfully sued and defeated Texas Governor Greg Abbott the last three times he tried to violate the First Amendment by punishing critics of the Israeli government," Masri said, as reported by Nexstar Media. "The lawsuit we have filed today is our first step towards defeating Governor Abbott again so that our nation protects free speech and due process for all Americans. No civil rights organizations are safe if a governor can baselessly and unilaterally declare any of them terrorist groups, ban them from buying land, and threaten them with closure."
CAIR’s national deputy director, Edward Ahmed Mitchell, was even more direct in his criticism during the press conference. "The idea that Governor Abbott’s going to claim that CAIR — an American Muslim civil rights group — is somehow a foreign terrorist group, it’s patently ludicrous," Mitchell stated. "And it’s the clearest example of bigotry that you call a Muslim that you disagree with a terrorist."
The legal challenge also points out that CAIR has a long and public record of condemning terrorism and anti-Semitism. As detailed in court filings and highlighted by The Texas Tribune, CAIR has consistently condemned all forms of unjust violence, including the October 7, 2023, attacks on civilians by Hamas. The organization’s website, as cited in the lawsuit, states: "We unequivocally condemn all acts of terrorism, whether carried out by al-Qa’ida, the Real IRA, FARC, Hamas, ETA, or any other group designated by the U.S. Department of State as a ‘Foreign Terrorist Organization.’"
CAIR’s funding, the group notes, is overwhelmingly sourced from American donors. In 2023, less than one percent of its donors were individuals based outside the United States, with most of those coming from Canada. This detail is included in the lawsuit to counter claims that CAIR operates as a foreign entity or has foreign allegiances.
Abbott’s proclamation also accused CAIR of being a "successor organization" to the Muslim Brotherhood, a multinational group founded in Egypt in 1928. While the U.S. government does designate certain branches or affiliates of the Muslim Brotherhood, such as Hamas, as terrorist organizations, neither CAIR nor the Muslim Brotherhood itself is officially designated as such by the U.S. government. Earlier in 2025, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested the Trump administration was considering such a designation, but no action was taken.
In the days following the proclamation, Abbott sent a letter to North Texas district attorneys and Attorney General Paxton, urging them to investigate what he called "Sharia tribunals masquerading as legal courts," specifically referencing the Islamic Tribunal in Dallas. The tribunal responded by clarifying that it only handles family law disputes and refers all decisions to Texas courts for final judgment and enforcement. Nonetheless, Abbott’s actions have been criticized by CAIR and others as part of a pattern of anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies. Earlier in the year, Abbott and other Texas officials directed investigations into a planned Muslim-centric neighborhood near Josephine, Texas, which they labeled a "Sharia compound." CAIR has defended the developers and accused Abbott of stoking discrimination.
Attorney Charlie Swift of the Muslim Legal Fund of America, speaking at the November 20 press conference, condemned Abbott’s proclamation as "undermining the very foundational notions of due process that our system depends upon." He added, "For the sake of our nation’s basic freedoms, Greg Abbott’s latest attack on the American people must be defeated." Swift expressed confidence that the federal government would not follow Abbott’s lead in designating CAIR as a terrorist organization, stating, "I think the federal government knows the difference between a foreign organization and a domestic organization."
As the lawsuit moves forward, the broader implications of Abbott’s actions are being closely watched by legal scholars, civil rights organizations, and Muslim communities nationwide. The case raises fundamental questions about the limits of state authority, the protection of minority rights, and the role of due process in safeguarding civil liberties. For CAIR and its supporters, the fight is not just about organizational survival, but about affirming the rights of all Americans to speak, assemble, and worship freely—without fear of being labeled a terrorist for their beliefs or advocacy.
With legal proceedings underway and the national spotlight fixed on Texas, the coming weeks are likely to see continued debate, protest, and scrutiny. The outcome could set a significant precedent for how states interact with religious and civil rights groups, and for the balance between security and freedom in American public life.
