[ June 13, 2026 ]
Congressional Republicans sharply condemned the terror-tied Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) after the group called for nationwide protests against ICE, accusing the agency of being “out of control.” GOP lawmakers dismissed CAIR as an extremist organization, with Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Keith Self citing its ties to Hamas and accusing it of fomenting chaos and opposing law enforcement. The backlash follows a series of escalating actions against CAIR: President Trump designated CAIR and Muslim Brotherhood elements as terrorist organizations in late 2025; Texas Gov. Greg Abbott banned CAIR’s operations in the state, pushed to revoke its nonprofit status, and outlawed Sharia-only compounds; and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has taken similar action. CAIR, for its part, claims ICE is violating civil rights and insists its protests are justified.
Designated Terrorist Org Participates in Anti-ICE Protest, Attracts Remarks From GOP Lawmakers
By: Pedro Rodriguez, Daily Signal, January 29, 2026
Congressional Republicans condemned the Council on American-Islamic Relations after it urged Americans to protest because “[Immigration and Customs Enforcement] is out of control and must be stopped.”
A Jan. 28 press release from CAIR encouraged people to join nationwide protests against ICE scheduled for Jan. 30.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, told The Daily Signal that Americans should not be listening to the demands of a group that has “ties to Hamas” in the first place.
“Americans support secure borders and deporting foreign nationals who are here illegally,” Lee said. “The last people they will be listening to are the activists at CAIR with ties to Hamas. Indeed, they might cause even more Americans to support ICE.”
One of the founders of the House’s Sharia Free America Caucus, Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, told The Daily Signal that “of course the terrorist organization that is CAIR is endorsing calls for a nationwide strike against ICE.
“They despise law and order and deliberately foment chaos across the country so they can more readily impose their Islamic extremism on the rest of us,” Self continued.
When The Daily Signal contacted CAIR for comment, the group referred The Daily Signal to a statement that claimed ICE engages in “breaches of law and order and violations of civil rights” that “must stop immediately.”
In late 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that designated CAIR and elements of the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations for their alleged financial ties to Islamic terrorist organizations like Hamas.
After CAIR pushed for a Sharia law-only Islamic compound known as EPIC City outside of Houston in May, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation in September to ban Sharia law and Sharia law-only compounds in the state. CAIR condemned the legislation as “racist” and “Islamophobic.”
In November, Abbott signed legislation designating CAIR as a foreign terrorist organization, which banned its operations in the state.
On Tuesday, Abbott pushed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to revoke the organization’s nonprofit status.
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY
Florida is designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist organizations.
Florida agencies are hereby directed to undertake all lawful measures to prevent unlawful activities by these… pic.twitter.com/2s48yYfEg7— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) December 8, 2025
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed an executive order targeting CAIR as well.
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