Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that the state is designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist organizations, citing ties to extremist activity and statements from both groups that officials described as concerning.

The designations also categorize both entities as transnational criminal organizations under Texas law.

In a statement released by the governor’s office, Abbott said the move was based on information about the groups’ history and global activity.

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“The Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR have long made their goals clear: to forcibly impose Sharia law and establish Islam’s ‘mastership of the world,’” Abbott said.

“The actions taken by the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR to support terrorism across the globe and subvert our laws through violence, intimidation, and harassment are unacceptable.”

Abbott also stated that the designations carry restrictions within Texas.

“Today, I designated the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist organizations and transnational criminal organizations. These radical extremists are not welcome in our state and are now prohibited from acquiring any real property interest in Texas,” he said.

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

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According to information included in the announcement, the Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in 1928 and has expanded globally.

A 2018 congressional report cited in the release described the organization as having connections to various jihadist groups.

The group’s founder, Hassan al-Banna, wrote that “Jihad is an obligation from Allah and every Muslim and cannot be ignored nor evaded.”

Additional material referenced the organization’s reaction to the death of Osama bin Laden and statements from influential Brotherhood figure Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who called for attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq.

The governor’s announcement also detailed prior concerns raised about CAIR.

Federal authorities have stated that the organization has historical ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, and in a 2008 terrorism financing case — the largest of its kind at the time — CAIR and several of its co-founders were listed as unindicted co-conspirators in a plot to route funds to Hamas.

Public court records note that multiple individuals who previously worked for CAIR were later sentenced for planning to assist groups such as al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

Abbott’s action comes shortly after the U.S. State Department designated four Antifa-aligned cells in Europe as foreign terrorist organizations.

Those cells, located in Germany, Italy, and Greece, were accused of conducting or planning politically motivated attacks including shootings and bombings.

The announcement in Texas also followed reporting on a proposal by the East Plano Islamic Center — the largest mosque in the state — to develop a 400-acre residential community. That project is under review by state and federal agencies.

Abbott previously launched Operation Lone Star in March 2021, a state-led border enforcement initiative involving multiple agencies.

As of January 12, 2024, state officials reported more than 495,400 illegal alien apprehensions, over 38,300 criminal arrests, and more than 34,700 felony charges under the operation.

Officials also reported seizing more than 453 million doses of fentanyl as part of the mission.

The governor’s designation of the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR marks one of the most expansive state-level actions taken against the organizations.

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