Texas Governor Demands Removal of CAIR’s Nonprofit Status, Attorney General Files Suit to Halt Operations Statewide
AUSTIN, Texas — In a significant escalation of state-level enforcement against civil advocacy groups, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has formally demanded that the Office of the Attorney General utilize its authority to strip the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) of its nonprofit status and effectively dissolve its operations within the state. Following this directive, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit seeking to revoke CAIR’s corporate charter, alleging the organization operates as a “foreign terrorist organization” under state law.
Executive Action and Legal Strategy
Governor Abbott’s directive leverages specific provisions of Texas business and penal codes that grant the Attorney General broad oversight capabilities over charitable organizations. In a letter sent to the Attorney General’s office, Abbott argued that CAIR does not function as a legitimate charity but rather as a front for the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas. The Governor cited “voluminous documents” purportedly linking the civil rights group to designated foreign entities, asserting that the organization is “masquerading” as a nonprofit to shield itself from scrutiny while advancing a radical agenda.
Attorney General Paxton’s subsequent lawsuit, filed in Collin County, formally requests that the court declare CAIR a “foreign terrorist organization” (FTO) and a “transnational criminal organization” under Texas statutes. If successful, the suit would not only dissolve CAIR’s corporate existence in Texas but also freeze its assets and prohibit it from fundraising or conducting any business in the state. This legal maneuver relies on a recently enacted state law—Senate Bill 1900—which created the state-level FTO designation, a category distinct from the federal terrorist watch list maintained by the U.S. State Department.
Background and Context
This latest move follows a series of incremental steps taken by the Abbott administration to restrict CAIR’s influence. In November 2025, Abbott issued an executive proclamation designating CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as FTOs, a move that legally barred them from purchasing land in Texas. That designation was unprecedented for a domestic civil rights organization and signaled a shift toward using state administrative powers to target specific advocacy groups.
The conflict has also spilled into the education sector. Recently, the Governor’s office exerted pressure on the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District to cancel facility usage contracts for the “Islamic Games,” an event sponsored by CAIR. State officials warned that hosting the event could violate state laws prohibiting the use of taxpayer-funded resources for groups designated as FTOs.
Legal analysts note that Texas is attempting to bypass federal supremacy on national security issues by creating a parallel state-level framework for defining terrorism. This strategy allows state officials to impose severe financial and operational penalties on groups that have not been federally charged with any crimes.
Objections and Constitutional Challenges
CAIR, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, has vehemently condemned the Governor’s actions and the Attorney General’s lawsuit, characterizing them as an “illegal and unconstitutional publicity stunt.” In a statement, CAIR-Texas leadership argued that the administration is weaponizing the legal system to silence political dissent, particularly regarding the organization’s vocal opposition to U.S. and Israeli policies in Gaza.
“The people of Texas elected Greg Abbott to serve them, not to dismantle the Constitution,” a CAIR spokesperson stated. “We have never been charged with a crime, and we have a three-decade record of defending civil rights. This is a transparent attempt to punish a minority community for exercising their First Amendment rights.”
Civil liberties experts have raised alarms that the state’s definition of “foreign terrorist organization” is dangerously vague and lacks due process protections. Critics argue that by allowing the state to unilaterally label a domestic nonprofit as “terrorist” without a federal criminal conviction, Texas is establishing a precedent that could be used to target any political group opposing the current administration. CAIR has already filed federal lawsuits challenging the previous land-ban designation and is expected to seek an immediate injunction against this latest attempt to dissolve the organization.
