Ron DeSantis Signs Law to Designate Domestic Terrorist Groups

Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 1471 on April 6, 2026, establishing a state-level process to designate domestic and foreign terrorist organizations. The law empowers the head of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to recommend designations, which are then approved by the governor and the Florida Cabinet. Groups labeled as terrorists face dissolution and the loss of state funding, while private schools affiliated with them lose state vouchers. State universities are authorized to expel students who promote these organizations, and students on visas must be reported to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement upon expulsion.

Additionally, the legislation prohibits Florida courts from enforcing religious or foreign legal codes, specifically Sharia law, if they conflict with the U.S. or Florida Constitutions. It also criminalizes providing material support to designated groups as a felony. This legislative push follows a December executive order by DeSantis targeting the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which a federal judge temporarily blocked in March.

During a signing ceremony in Tampa, DeSantis stated the law protects tax dollars and defends institutions from those who would "infiltrate and subvert our education system." He explicitly cited the Muslim Brotherhood, CAIR, Antifa, and Tren de Aragua as potential targets. Civil rights and free speech organizations, including the ACLU of Florida and PEN America, condemned the law as a draconian measure that weaponizes state power and threatens First Amendment freedoms and due process.