How Gov. Abbott was able to designate local civil rights group a terrorist organization

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Tuesday, Governor Greg Abbott made the controversial announcement that the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council of American-Islamic Relations will now be considered terrorist organizations.

According to Congress, the Muslim Brotherhood is a militant Islamic organization with affiliations in 70 countries, including groups designated as terrorist organizations by the United States.

The Council of American-Islamic Relations has an office in Houston and across the country and identifies itself as a group working to enhance the understanding of Islam and civil rights and empower American Muslims.

Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University, said the naming of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization has been floating around state and national circles for a while. What was more of a surprise was to see the Council of American-Islamic Relations included on the list.

Designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council of American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, a terrorist organization was made possible after a law was passed during the 2025 state legislative session, according to Jones.

"That legislation had an amendment during the process that allows the governor to branch out and declare other organizations to be terrorist organizations," Jones said.

The legislation the amendment was attached to allows the Governor to ban the purchase of land in Texas by any group that has been deemed a terrorist organization by the federal government, Jones said.

According to Jones, the U.S. Department of State follows a long and complex rubric to determine if a group will be labeled a terrorist organization. So far, the Department of State has not named CAIR or the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations.

Jones tells ABC13 that the amendment allows Gov. Abbott to determine his own definition of what a terrorist group is, after consulting with Homeland Security.

"The governor doesn't really have to satisfy any criteria. It's just given the governor's judgment, the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR are terrorist organizations, then he can designate them as terrorist organizations in the state of Texas and thereby preventing them from owning land," Jones said.

Jones said to his knowledge, neither group is currently looking to purchase land in Texas, making this more of a symbolic move.

CAIR's national office said the designations are "stoking anti-Muslim hysteria to smear American Muslims critical of the Israeli government."

Meanwhile, Abbott said this move is to prevent the spread of extremism.

Is there an argument for freedom of religion? Eyewitness News asked Jones, who said the governor may be trying to argue this isn't about religion.

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