FLORIDA — The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced Tuesday it plans to file a lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis after he designated the nonprofit as a "terrorist organization" through an executive order Monday.
The announcement, made through posts on the governor’s official Facebook and X accounts, said: "Florida agencies are directed to prevent unlawful activities by these organizations, including denying privileges or resources to anyone providing material support."
CAIR, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has operated for nearly 25 years, is one of the largest Muslim civil rights organizations in the country, working to defend victims of discrimination.
Leaders with CAIR-Florida said they feels attacked by DeSantis's executive order, which also designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization.
Watch full press conference from CAIR-Florida
"We have become the victim of another spear campaign. This is not the first time that this has happened," said Hiba Rahim, deputy executive director of CAIR-Florida, during a press conference in Tampa on Tuesday.
"This is something that has been a long time coming. I know the federal government's now working in a similar direction," DeSantis said at seperate press conference in Miami on Tuesday.
At the press conference, CAIR leaders announced their plans to sue the governor. The organization said it condemns any acts of terrorism from organizations like al-Qaeda and Hamas, calling DeSantis's designation a political stunt designed to create fear.
"This is an attack on our constitution. An attack on CAIR is an attack on our liberties, it is an attack on our constitution, and if you care about upholding the constitution, if you are truly America first, you have to prioritize fighting against these types of attacks," Hiba Rahim, Deputy Executive Director of CAIR-Florida, said.
Interfaith leaders stood with CAIR, comparing these attacks to those faced by civil rights leaders in the 1950s and 60s.
"Whenever people fight for dignity, someone in power tries to criminalize them. So when the governor calls CAIR, a respected Muslim civil rights organization, a terrorist group, Christians should recognize exactly what is happening. It's fear mongering. It isn't truth," said Rev. Andy Oliver, pastor of Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg.
DeSantis responded by saying he welcomes the legal challenge.
"I think you're going to see statutory codification of how we handle different terror designations, but I welcome the lawsuit because what will happen is that will give the state of Florida discovery rights to be able to subpoena the bank records," DeSantis said.
State Attorney General James Uthmeier supports DeSantis, saying in a tweet that his team is prepared to fight in court.
.@GovRonDesantis has the constitutional right to direct the operations of Florida’s executive branch, and we will defend that right in court.
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) December 9, 2025
CAIR does not have the constitutional right to provide material support to terrorism, and we look forward to discovery. https://t.co/XdzMRnSZys
CAIR said it plans to file the lawsuit as early as Wednesday.
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