Florida Cabinet designates over 90 groups as terrorist organizations

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the state Cabinet have voted to designate more than 90 groups as terrorist organizations. The decision, made under the new law HB 1471, includes domestic and foreign entities.

Among the domestic groups designated are the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Muslim Brotherhood, and the antifa movement. The list also includes over 90 organizations already classified as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. government, such as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, and two Mexican drug cartels.

The move has prompted immediate legal action. CAIR filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, alleging that the designations violate the First Amendment and the due process clause of the 14th Amendment. The ACLU National Security Project has indicated it intends to file a motion for a preliminary injunction, arguing there is no evidence that CAIR has engaged in violent or illegal acts.