Abu Sabet: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday designated one of the nation's largest Muslim civil rights groups a "foreign terrorist organization," following a similar designation by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott last month.
The designation was the latest step in a campaign by Republican lawmakers to paint large swaths of American residents opposed to the Trump administration, or those in support of minority groups or immigrants, as hostile, dangerous entities. President Donald Trump and his coalition have also attempted to falsely characterize Democratic-led American cities as bastions of violent crime, progressive protestors as anti-American terrorist networks, and undocumented immigrants as "criminal illegal aliens" at risk of putting citizens in mortal peril. DeSantis' directive against the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) bars Florida agencies from providing it or the Muslim Brotherhood with contracts, employment or state funds. In response to the designation in Texas last month, CAIR National accused the governor of "advancing anti-Muslim bigotry" with "debunked conspiracy theories and made-up quotes" in service to his AIPAC donors. Neither CAIR nor the Muslim Brotherhood is designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government.
CAIR and its Florida chapter said the organization plans to sue DeSantis in response to what it called an “unconstitutional” and “defamatory” proclamation," according to a statement emailed to The Associated Press. “CAIR is an independent American civil rights organization that has spent 30 years protecting free speech, advancing religious freedom, and promoting justice for people here and abroad. We have consistently condemned all forms of unjust violence, including hate crimes, ethnic cleansing, genocide and terrorism," CAIR National wrote in a press release last month. "In fact, we condemn terrorism so often that ISIS once put a target on our national executive director.
“Greg Abbott is an Israel First politician who has spent months stoking anti-Muslim hysteria to smear American Muslims critical of the Israeli government. By defaming another prominent American Muslim institution with debunked conspiracy theories and made-up quotes, Mr. Abbott has once again shown that his top priority is advancing anti-Muslim bigotry, not serving the people of Texas," the council wrote of the Texas governor. "His latest publicity stunt has no basis in fact or law, nor can it stop our civil rights work."
The Florida governor's designation follows a conspiracy-laced, racist rant issued by the president last week against the population of Somalis living in Minnesota, accusing the group of contributing "nothing" and destroying "our country." During a lengthy, televised Cabinet meeting last Tuesday, the president spoke in openly xenophobic terms about the group of migrants, many of whom fled to America during their country's civil war. The largest population resides in the Minneapolis area, where most of the 84,000 Somalis are American citizens, making up less than 1.5% of the state's total population. "Look how bad their nation is. It's not even a nation. It's just people walking around killing each other. Look, these Somalians have taken billions of dollars out of our country. Billions and billions," said Trump, surrounded by his Cabinet. "Those Somalians should be out of here. They've destroyed our country. And all they do is complain, complain, complain." The actions by the Trump administration to vilify and target non-white, non-Christian and non-conservative groups across the nation and abroad come alongside social media posts from top White House officials and Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino that draw comparisons between immigration enforcement and an exciting, military-style hunting party.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has also promoted dubious ideas about undocumented migrants, "No Kings" protestors and bystanders to immigration raids that evoke so much danger as to reinforce the president's claims that an "enemy within" lurks throughout the nation.
In May, White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Trump's "border czar" Tom Homan reportedly directed ICE agents to arrest 3,000 people they believed to be undocumented immigrants each day, whether or not they had a criminal record.
Miller told agents to search anywhere and everywhere for migrants, leading to ICE appearances at routine immigration checks, courts and worksites around the U.S.
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