The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), one of the leading civil rights advocacy organizations for Muslims in the United States, announced the suspension of its operations in Florida after state authorities designated it as a domestic terrorist organization, a decision driven by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.
The Florida Attorney General, James Uthmeier, confirmed this Thursday on his X account the suspension of activities with a brief message: “CAIR has officially suspended its operations in Florida.”
The organization confirmed the decision through a notice published on its official website, where it directly held DeSantis and other state officials accountable for creating the conditions that forced it to halt its work.
We have suspended our operations in Florida due to the unfounded and unconstitutional enforcement by Governor DeSantis and other state officials of the new and unprecedented state laws regarding domestic terrorist organizations, stated CAIR.
The entity announced that it will continue its legal battle against the designation, with representation from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), and other lawyers.
The litigation challenges the constitutionality of the measure due to possible violations of the First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech and association, as well as the guarantees of due process.
CAIR, whose name in English is Council on American-Islamic Relations, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to combating discrimination, promoting religious tolerance, and providing legal representation in cases related to civil rights.
Its Florida chapter engaged in activities such as legal assistance, community education, advocacy for individuals reporting discrimination, and public participation in issues related to the Muslim community.
According to the ACLU, neither CAIR nor its state chapter have been criminally charged or convicted of terrorism-related offenses. The organization denies the accusations made by Florida authorities.
The confrontation with DeSantis began before the current legislation. In December 2025, the governor signed an executive order that designated CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations and ordered the restriction of certain forms of state support.
In March 2026, a federal judge partially blocked that order, considering that there were constitutional issues with the powers exercised by the governor.
Subsequently, DeSantis signed law HB 1471 on April 6, which went into effect on July 1 and established a procedure for designating terrorist organizations within Florida, regardless of federal government classifications.
The regulation allows the governor and his cabinet to approve appointments based on recommendations from the head of Homeland Security of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
It also includes restrictions on the use of public funds, government contracts, and certain activities supporting designated organizations, in addition to criminal penalties for those who knowingly provide material support under the circumstances outlined by the legislation.
In September, Florida established the rules to create its own list of terrorist organizations, with mechanisms for notification, objection, and review of the decisions made by the governor and his cabinet.
The DeSantis administration officially defended the enforcement of this regulation by arguing that Florida needs its own tools to prevent public resources from benefiting organizations deemed threats to security.
On September 29, state authorities approved the inclusion of over 90 groups on that list, including CAIR, the Muslim Brotherhood, Antifa, and criminal organizations such as the Tren de Aragua and the Cártel de Sinaloa.
The formal designation of CAIR and CAIR-Florida was set to take effect this Thursday November 5, a date that the organization and its lawyers tried to postpone through legal actions.
The ACLU had warned that if the courts did not stop the enforcement of the measure, organizations would be forced to shut down their operations in Florida due to the extent of the potential legal consequences.
"Unless the courts block the implementation of the law starting November 5, our clients, CAIR and CAIR-Florida, will have to close their doors in the state because the penalties in the law are extremely broad and severe," said Ashley Gorski, attorney for the ACLU's National Security Project, in an interview with Tampa Bay 28 published ahead of the deadline.
Gorski explained that the organizations offer free legal representation, engage in community and educational activities, and participate in public debates about civil rights, tasks he considers protected by the U.S. Constitution.
The lawyer also questioned the procedure through which Florida approved the designation. According to her account, legal representatives from CAIR attended the meeting with the governor and his cabinet to defend the organization, but they were not granted permission to intervene.
"That's not due process," Gorski stated, asserting that the affected entities should have a meaningful opportunity to present their arguments before any measures with such severe consequences are adopted.
CAIR and CAIR-Florida requested a preliminary injunction from federal courts to prevent the designation from being implemented, or at least to suspend certain sanctions while the underlying litigation is being examined.
This Thursday, a federal judge rejected the urgent request to halt the implementation of the designations, as reported by the Florida press. The decision allows the state measure to remain in effect for now, although it does not conclude the lawsuit regarding its constitutionality.
The suspension of CAIR-Florida does not mean that the national organization has ceased to exist or that it has been declared a terrorist group by the federal government. The classification comes from the authorities in Florida and is still subject to legal challenge.
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