The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and its Florida chapter (CAIR-Florida) today called on Florida residents to tell their legislators and oppose Orwellian, unconstitutional bills that would conceal public records exposing whether Governor DeSantis coordinated with the Israeli government before issuing his controversial “terrorism designations” and authorize felony prosecutions of Floridians for being members of organizations DeSantis targets, without any due process.
TAKE ACTION: Urge Florida Legislature to Reject Phony “Terrorism” Crackdown and Public Records Blackout Bills
CAIR-Florida warns that the bills appear to be a direct political response to CAIR’s public records request and December lawsuit challenging Governor DeSantis’ unlawful and extrajudicial attempt to label the organization a “foreign terrorist” group without authority, evidence, or due process.
Stop the Coverup: Florida residents are being urged by CAIR to immediately contact their state representatives and senators and demand they OPPOSE HB 1471/SB 1632 and HB 1473/SB 1634 – companion bills that would dramatically expand Florida’s unconstitutional and phony domestic terrorism enforcement regime while shielding it from public oversight through sweeping new secrecy provisions.
In a statement, CAIR and CAIR-Florida said:
“These bills represent a dangerous escalation in Governor Ron DeSantis’ campaign to criminalize civil rights advocacy, silence political dissent, and shield his administration from public accountability.
“We openly question whether these bills were secretly requested by the Governor as a direct response to CAIR’s public records request seeking to expose possible coordination between his administration, Israeli government officials, and anti-Muslim influence networks that have worked to smear Florida Muslims and civil rights organizations.
“Rather than defend his lawless and phony attempt to label CAIR-Florida a ‘foreign terrorist organization’ without any authority to do so or any semblance of due process, the Governor and his allies now appear to be attempting to rewrite Florida’s terrorism statutes and transparency laws to hide their actions from the public.
“These bills would authorize secret terrorism designations, criminalize association and advocacy, punish students and educators, defund civil society organizations, and then hide the evidence from the public. That is not public safety, it is political repression.
“Florida’s Constitution guarantees open government, free speech, and due process. These bills would shred those protections and normalize a secret policing regime at the state level. We urge every Florida resident to contact their legislators and demand their immediate opposition.”
Bill Analysis
HB 1471 and SB 1632: Build a sweeping state domestic terrorism enforcement regime that criminalizes association, defunds civil society, censors campuses, and punishes students and educators. They authorize Florida to secretly label organizations as “domestic terrorists” and impose criminal penalties and institutional purges based on politically motivated “intelligence-based” determinations.
HB 1473 and SB 1634: Create a public records and public meetings blackout that hides the evidence from the public and blocks meaningful oversight. The only difference is procedural, the Senate version adds an explicit closed-door meetings exemption, but the enforcement powers and secrecy architecture are the same.
CAIR and CAIR Florida are urging Floridians to act now. Take part in our click-and-send action alert to demand your elected officials OPPOSE HB 1471 and HB 1473.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: Hiba Rahim, CAIR-Florida Deputy Executive Director, (813) 705-5440, [email protected]; CAIR-Florida Communications Director Wilfredo A. Ruiz, (305)502-6749, [email protected]; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, [email protected]; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, [email protected]