Texas Governor Greg Abbott on November 18, officially designated the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as “foreign terrorist” and “transnational criminal” organisations under Texas law, triggering immediate restrictions and authorising broad legal action against the groups.
The proclamation announced by Abbott on X noted, “Today, I designated the Muslim Brotherhood and Council on American-Islamic Relations as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organisations,” Abbott wrote. “This bans them from buying or acquiring land in Texas and authorises the Attorney General to sue to shut them down.”
Today, I designated the Muslim Brotherhood and Council on American-Islamic Relations as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations.
This bans them from buying or acquiring land in Texas and authorizes the Attorney General to sue to shut them down. pic.twitter.com/lSYvpkTmh3
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) November 18, 2025
Abbott’s designation invokes Texas Penal and Property Code provisions allowing the governor to classify entities that “threaten the security of this state.” Under the order:
- CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood are barred from purchasing or owning land in Texas.
- Attorney General Ken Paxton is empowered to pursue lawsuits aimed at halting their operations.
- The state may implement heightened enforcement actions against affiliates and related entities.
The governor cited a recently enacted land-ownership law targeting groups linked to “foreign adversaries,” saying the move is a direct application of the legislature’s intent.
Republican State Representative Cole Hefner, who authored the law, backed Abbott’s action, “Today proves exactly why that law was needed.”
In the proclamation, Abbott accuses the Muslim Brotherhood founded in 1928 and with offshoots including Hamas of attempting to destabilise multiple countries. He characterises CAIR as a “successor organisation,” a claim echoed by several Republican lawmakers but rejected by CAIR and not recognised by federal authorities.
The move follows Abbott’s 2024 unilateral designation of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua as a transnational criminal organisation, which the federal government later mirrored.
CAIR, one of the largest Muslim civil-rights organisations in the United States, denounced the designation as unlawful and politically motivated.
