CAIR sues Florida after Gov. Ron DeSantis makes terror declaration, and reactions to the Florida State Board of Education’s decision to ban undocumented immigrants from public colleges. 


CAIR sues Florida over terror group declaration

The Council on American Islamic Relations and its state chapter are now suing the state of Florida.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said that he added CAIR to a list of terrorist organizations.

A new law that took effect Wednesday gave DeSantis the power to do that.

CAIR says the label is not true, and the designation will be debilitating for the organization.

It’s typically a power of the federal government, but under DeSantis, Florida has begun the process of designating select groups as terrorist organizations.

This is possible as a result of HB 1471, which lawmakers approved earlier this year.

Currently, there are more than 90 groups on the list. It’s a big mix — ranging from Mexican cartels to Antifa, and even an Islamic advocacy group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

They’re the largest Islamic advocacy group in the nation, and they’re suing the state over that designation.

Under the law, designated groups can’t access public funds and contracts.

Nor can college students at public colleges and universities in Florida support them, or otherwise they could face expulsion.

The state says the designations protect Florida residents, while critics say it chills free speech.

“The legislature responded, and I signed that legislation earlier this year. These are permanent statutory tools to combat terrorism while defending the constitutional rights of our citizens,” DeSantis said.

“It produces a system where people will be forced into self-censorship because they’re afraid of getting their student funds cut, their scholarships cut. They won’t be able to speak their minds freely. And our republic universities, that is where students should feel most safe,” Hiba Rahim with CAIR-Florida said.

The next step is for the GOP-controlled Florida cabinet to approve the designations, which could happen in an emergency cabinet meeting if the governor decides to call one. He indicated that could be a possibility.

Group reacts to Florida immigration education decision

Immigration advocacy groups are responding to the state board of education’s decision to no longer allow undocumented students to attend public colleges.

The board decided earlier this week that Florida’s 28 public colleges will have to verify a student’s citizenship or make sure that a student is lawfully in the United States before admitting them.

The same applies to most general education programs.

According to the American Immigration Council, Florida is home to roughly 49,000 undocumented students in all of higher education.

On Thursday, a coalition of legal entities and advocacy organizations gathered over Zoom, calling the move “cruel” and “potentially illegal.”

An immigration labor analyst for the Florida Policy Institute said that she worries how colleges will transition to implement this rule and what it would cost.

“Our analysis shows, here at Florida Policy Institute, that the rule would cost the Florida College System an estimated $50 million in lost tuition and fees from young immigrants. The board itself has provided no fiscal estimates of its own. But it really should be, and that’s a major concern,” Immigration and Labor Analyst at Florida Policy Institute Alexis Tsoukalas said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has said he believes those admitted should lawfully be a United States citizen.

Right now, this rule only applies to state public colleges. Similar rules are under consideration to restrict admissions at public universities.