DeSantis CAIR, Muslim Brotherhood and Antifa will be labeled as terrorist groups under new law

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday the state’s intention to use a new state law to designate dozens of groups as terrorist organizations; The move would still need to be approved by the Florida Cabinet and would prompt legal challenges from at least one of the groups.

HB 1471 was signed into law earlier this year and went into effect Wednesday.

The governor said the state plans to implement its new legal authority to “detect, designate, and combat terrorist organizations operating in Florida” in the first use of powers established under the law.

Florida officials plan to designate more than 90 groups, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Muslim Brotherhood and Antifa, as terrorist organizations, but the proposed designations must be approved by the governor and the Cabinet before being finalized under the statute.

FLORIDA’S CAIR THREATENS TO FILE A LAWSUIT AGAINST DESANTIS AFTER TAGGING THE GROUP AS A ‘FOREIGN TERRORIST’ ORGANIZATION

“Last December, I signed an Executive Order to eliminate the influence of radical terrorist ideologies and the organizations that support them in Florida. This year, I signed legislation that will strengthen those protections and provide Florida with permanent legal tools to combat terrorism while defending the Constitutional rights of our citizens,” DeSantis said in a statement. he said. “Today, we are officially designating terrorist organizations under Florida law. In addition to CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood, we are adding Antifa to the list along with more than 90 Foreign Terrorist Organizations, including the cartels.”

However, under HB 1471, the Chief of Homeland Security can designate qualified organizations as domestic or foreign terrorist organizations, but the governor and the Cabinet can approve or deny those designations by a majority vote before they are published in the Florida Administrative Register.

Some of the foreign organizations added to the list include the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and gangs such as Cartel de Sinaloa, Tren de Aragua, Cartel del Noreste and Cartel del Golfo.

The new law allows the governor and the Cabinet to approve or reject appointments initially made by the chief of homeland security within the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

“Keeping our community safe starts with identifying the threat,” said Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass. “The safety of our community is strengthened every day by this knowledge and collaboration between our officers, our federal partners and, most importantly, the people we serve.”

HB 1471 was signed into law earlier this year and went into effect Wednesday. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

HB 1471 instructs agencies to deny public support and taxpayer funding to groups. The law also establishes state enforcement mechanisms and criminal sanctions for providing material support to terrorist organizations.

More specifically, the law restricts certain public benefits, financing and corporate support associated with certain groups, and imposes criminal penalties for knowingly providing, attempting to provide, or conspiring to provide material support or resources to a designated domestic terrorist organization.

The law also ensures that foreign or religious laws cannot override the U.S. or Florida Constitutions in state courts.

Muslim civil rights group CAIR condemned the move and said the governor would continue to challenge the state’s actions Wednesday, saying the organization did not participate in “terrorist activities” and had not been charged or convicted of a crime. CAIR and CAIR-Florida also previously filed a lawsuit over DeSantis’ December executive order targeting CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood.

“Throughout CAIR’s long history, our civil rights organization has worked to protect the Constitution’s guarantees of free speech, religious liberty, and equality under the law,” the group said in a statement. he said. “We have also pursued justice for all people, including American Muslims, affected by hate. This is exactly why Governor DeSantis has repeatedly targeted our organization. This is Governor DeSantis’ latest prejudicial attempt to punish us for our views and values. We look forward to fighting these baseless attacks in court and proving once again that the Constitution is stronger than the bigotry of any politician.”

DESANTIS SAID FLORIDA RECOGNIZED THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD AND CAIR AS FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS

Florida authorities plan to designate more than 90 groups as terrorist organizations, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Muslim Brotherhood and Antifa. (Stephanie Keith/Bloomberg)

Critics, including CAIR and civil liberties groups, argue the appointments are politically motivated and threaten expression and association protected by the First Amendment. DeSantis and state officials have argued that the law is intended to prevent taxpayer support for groups they say encourage or support terrorism.

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CAIR and civil liberties groups said they would challenge the appointment as unfounded and unconstitutional.

“Florida’s imminent determination of our clients is both appalling and disconnected from reality. CAIR and CAIR-Florida’s speech and advocacy are protected by the First Amendment, which includes their right to criticize the governor, other officials, and their policies. We ask the court to protect our clients’ fundamental freedoms,” Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU’s National Security Project, said in a statement. he said.

The designations, if approved by the Cabinet, would apply under Florida law and would not be the same as the federal foreign terrorist organization designation made by the U.S. State Department.