Florida targets 'financial arteries' of terrorist groups including Muslim Brotherhood, Antifa, CAIR

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the state will target the “financial arteries” of organizations it has designated as terrorist groups. The announcement comes as DeSantis’ cabinet voted to designate groups including Antifa, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as domestic terrorist organizations under a new state law.

On Tuesday, the governor’s cabinet voted to officially bar these groups from receiving financial support from state and local governments under Florida’s new terrorism law. More than 90 organizations that have already been designated as terrorist organizations by the federal government were also placed on the list

The law prohibits state and local governments from providing taxpayer funding or public support to organizations under the statute. Public colleges and universities can also face restrictions on supporting or providing resources to the groups, according to WFLA.

The move to designate CAIR has brought significant backlash from the organization. DeSantis pointed to CAIR’S status as an unindicted co-conspirator in the federal prosecution stemming from the Holy Land Foundation terrorism-financing case.

“You look at some of these, you know, CAIR was an unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terror financing trial in American history,” DeSantis said. “And so there’s a lot of financial arteries that go into these movements, and we want to make sure we’re doing everything we can in Florida to be able to put the kibosh on that. And so that has been official.”

The state is also seeking to investigate the organizations for potential criminal activity. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said following the vote that providing support to these groups constitutes a felony.

“Your tax dollars will not fund them. No contracts, no foothold on our campuses. Students who promote them are expelled. The Free State of Florida will not launder terrorism through our schools. We will name these groups, cut off the money, and hold those who bankroll them accountable,” Uthmeier said.

The ACLU, which is representing CAIR, said that the organization was not given an opportunity to comment on the designation prior to the vote.

“Gov. DeSantis did not acknowledge and spoke over the ACLU’s request, said he heard no objections from the Cabinet, and approved the designation. The entire vote consideration took thirty seconds. On behalf of CAIR and CAIR-Florida, the ACLU, ACLU of Florida, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and Bondurant Mixson & Elmore LLP plan to file an amended complaint and an emergency motion to stop the designations from becoming effective,” the ACLU said in a statement.