Abbott Pushes Paxton To Shut Down CAIR And Its Affiliates In Texas

Governor Greg Abbott on January 28 formally demanded that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton use existing legal authority to investigate and eliminate the ability of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and its affiliated entities to operate in Texas.

In a letter sent to Paxton, Abbott argued that Texas law already provides the Attorney General broad oversight powers over nonprofits suspected of violating state law and urged him to deploy those tools against CAIR and its affiliates.

“The Texas Attorney General is the only elected official charged with regulating nonprofits that may be violating the law,” Abbott wrote. “You have used these tools before; I urge you to use them to combat CAIR.”

Abbott Cites Attorney General’s Authority Over Nonprofits

Abbott cited multiple provisions of Texas law authorizing the Attorney General to investigate nonprofits, compel records, and seek judicial forfeiture of corporate charters.

The governor wrote that Texas law empowers the Attorney General to “inspect, examine, and copy records of nonprofits,” and that a nonprofit that refuses to comply “forfeits the right … to do business in this state,” while individuals who refuse to comply “also commit a crime.”

Abbott also noted that the Attorney General may issue civil investigative demands requiring organizations to “produce documents, answer questions, or provide testimony regarding potential civil violations,” and that state law permits the Attorney General to “seek a lien against all existing property the nonprofit has in this State.”

“Voluminous documents detail the dangers posed to Texans by the Muslim Brotherhood, CAIR, and their affiliates,” Abbott wrote. “We must not allow them to go unaddressed.”

Demand Follows CAIR Designation, School District Scrutiny

Abbott’s January 28 demand follows a series of actions targeting CAIR and affiliated entities in Texas, including his recent intervention involving public school districts that considered hosting events tied to the “Islamic Games,” as previously reported by The Dallas Express.

In those cases, Abbott warned that the Texas Education Agency could seize district records and refer findings to the Attorney General, prompting multiple districts to halt or deny facility use for the event.

The latest demand builds on Abbott’s November 2025 proclamation designating CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations under Texas law, authorizing the Attorney General to pursue civil enforcement actions against the groups.

In the January 28 letter, Abbott referenced recent federal actions taken under President Donald Trump, including terrorist designations issued January 13, 2026, by the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of the Treasury against overseas Muslim Brotherhood chapters.

In a federal press release cited by Abbott, the U.S. Department of the Treasury stated that Muslim Brotherhood chapters “purport to be legitimate civic organizations while, behind the scenes, they explicitly and enthusiastically support terrorist groups like Hamas.”

Abbott also cited federal court findings regarding CAIR, writing that investigators and court filings identified CAIR as a subsidiary of the Muslim Brotherhood and a “front group” for Hamas in the United States. He referenced a federal court determination that there was “ample evidence to establish” CAIR’s association with Hamas based on internal documents listing CAIR under the Muslim Brotherhood’s umbrella.

The governor further raised questions about CAIR-affiliated entities’ registration and nonprofit status in Texas.

On the Texas Comptroller’s website, Abbott wrote, two CAIR entities “are listed as being authorized to conduct business here,” while a third “is not listed in Texas records, despite telling the federal government that it operates in Texas.” He also wrote that additional CAIR entities appear to have Texas registration records “but no apparent federal taxpayer number.”

“That prompts concerning questions,” Abbott wrote. “Why should unregistered entities be operating in Texas at all? And why are purported Texas nonprofits not registered with the IRS?”

Abbott closed the letter by thanking Paxton “in advance for addressing this issue” and emphasizing the need to examine entities “with ties to terrorism masquerading as nonprofits in Texas.”

Paxton’s office had not announced any enforcement action in response to Abbott’s January 28 letter at the time of publication.

CAIR had not issued a public response to the letter.