Texas Targets CAIR: Terror Investigation Launched

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered criminal investigations into the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim Brotherhood, marking an unprecedented state-level crackdown on organizations with alleged terror connections that federal authorities have declined to formally designate.

Story Snapshot

Texas and Florida governors designate CAIR and Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations under state law, bypassing federal inaction
Abbott directs Department of Public Safety to investigate terror financing, Sharia court operations, and radical recruitment networks
CAIR files federal lawsuit claiming defamation and constitutional violations, while DeSantis welcomes litigation for financial discovery
Actions stem from 2007 Holy Land Foundation convictions and 2009 federal court findings of “ample evidence” linking CAIR to Hamas

State Actions Break From Federal Reluctance

Governor Abbott issued a proclamation last month designating CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations, prohibiting land purchases in Texas and authorizing legal action. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis followed with a similar executive order directing state agencies to deny resources and monitor both groups through law enforcement. The moves represent the first state-level terror designations despite the U.S. State Department never officially listing either organization, creating a stark divide between GOP-controlled states and federal policy under successive administrations that avoided the controversy.

Criminal Probes Target Financing and Sharia Networks

Abbott escalated enforcement Thursday by directing the Texas Department of Public Safety to launch criminal investigations into CAIR and Muslim Brotherhood affiliates for supporting terrorism, money laundering, and imposing Sharia law. The directive specifically mentions investigating alleged “Sharia courts” operating in North Texas, radical recruitment efforts, and financial networks tied to international terror groups. Abbott stated authorities would “identify, disrupt, and eradicate terrorist organizations” while confronting what he termed radical Islamic ideology threatening Texans. This criminal investigation component distinguishes Texas’s approach from Florida’s monitoring strategy, potentially exposing operational details that have remained hidden from public scrutiny for decades.

Evidence Trail Dates to 2007 Terror Conviction

The governors’ actions draw heavily on the 2007 Holy Land Foundation trial, where federal prosecutors convicted organization leaders of funneling millions to Hamas. CAIR was named an unindicted co-conspirator in that case, and a 2009 federal court ruling found “ample evidence” establishing CAIR’s links to Hamas, a decision the Supreme Court let stand. The FBI severed ties with CAIR around 2008-2009 over these concerns. Abbott cited additional staff convictions and deportations for financing Al Qaeda and Taliban operations, while recent CAIR grants to pro-Hamas campus protesters following the October 7, 2023 attacks added contemporary fuel to longstanding suspicions about the organization’s true allegiances and funding sources.

Legal Battle Tests State Authority Limits

CAIR and the Muslim Legal Fund filed federal lawsuits against Abbott within hours of his investigation order, calling the designations a “ridiculous publicity stunt” lacking constitutional authority. The organization denies all terror connections and frames the actions as anti-Muslim defamation targeting pro-Palestinian advocacy. DeSantis welcomed the litigation on social media, stating he looked “forward to discovery, especially CAIR finances.” Representative Randy Fine, who introduced federal legislation for a State Department review, predicted the lawsuits would expose a “dark web of relationships” through mandatory financial disclosures. The legal confrontation will determine whether states can independently designate terror groups when federal authorities decline, potentially establishing precedent that other Republican governors are watching closely before committing their states to similar action.

Other GOP States Remain Silent on Joining

Despite calls from activists like Amy Mekelburg urging multi-state action, governors in Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Virginia have not responded to inquiries about following Texas and Florida’s lead. The silence suggests caution about untested legal waters and concern over the litigation CAIR has promised. The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in 1928 seeking global Sharia implementation and has been designated as a terrorist organization by Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, though not by the United States. President Trump initiated a federal review of Muslim Brotherhood chapters last month, but no federal designation has emerged. The outcome of current litigation and criminal investigations will likely determine whether this remains a two-state effort or spreads into a broader GOP-led counter-terrorism strategy targeting organizations that have operated in legal gray areas for nearly three decades.