Florida Gov.
Ron DeSantis moved quickly on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, to officially designate two Islamic groups, various foreign cartels, and an anti-fascism movement as terrorist organizations under a newly enacted state anti-terrorism law.
The actions follow the effective date of House Bill 1471 from the 2026 regular legislative session, which grants the state authority to impose such designations.
The designated entities include the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Muslim Brotherhood, and antifa, alongside more than 90 foreign organizations already recognized as terrorist groups by the federal government.
Governor Cites Actions, Not Ideology
According to a release from the governor's office, the measure is designed to identify and eliminate terrorist networks operating within the state.
Speaking from the Attorney General’s Tampa Office of Statewide Prosecution, the governor emphasized the need for decisive action regarding the spread of these movements.
"We’ve got to draw a very strong line in the sand here," said Gov. Ron DeSantis.
"We’ve seen this creep throughout the country over many, many years."
DeSantis noted that the designations are based directly on the groups' activities rather than their political ideology.
He explicitly cited the actions of militant leftists and foreign syndicates, such as the Tren de Aragua and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as primary drivers for the policy.
"Even though I don’t like antifa’s ideas, I mean, they’re militant leftists," said Gov. Ron DeSantis.
"It’s their actions and what they’re involved with that’s very destructive.
And the same with Tren de Aragua, same with (the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps), obviously they’re a revolutionary military Islamic organization, but they’re also the leading fermenter of terrorism worldwide."
The designations put forward by DeSantis require formal approval from the Florida Cabinet, which consists of Attorney General James Uthmeier, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson.
The new law also enforces strict rules within public education, requiring the expulsion of any Florida College System student who promotes these designated organizations.
Civil rights advocates and legal representatives have voiced strong opposition to the legislative measures. Critics argue the law unlawfully broadens state powers to suppress and penalize advocacy organizations.
"Gov.
DeSantis is seeking to unilaterally silence a leading American civil rights nonprofit and punish those who support it," said Scott McCoy, deputy legal director of Southern Poverty Law Center on behalf of CAIR.
The legislation previously faced judicial hurdles when U. S.
District Court Judge Mark Walker issued a preliminary injunction against a related executive order in March, citing violations of CAIR's constitutional rights.
CAIR has announced intentions to legally challenge the newly implemented statute, while Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns that accompanying public records exemptions will deprive targeted groups of due process.
