TAMPA, Fla. — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis enacted legislation Monday granting state leadership the authority to classify organizations as domestic or international terrorist entities and remove state university students who back such groups.
The legislation, which has drawn criticism from civil liberties organizations, empowers a senior official within the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to classify an organization as a domestic or international terrorist entity, subject to approval or denial by the governor and three additional Florida Cabinet members. The Cabinet consists of the state attorney general, chief financial officer, and agriculture commissioner, each elected independently alongside the governor.
After receiving a terrorist classification, an organization faces dissolution and loses eligibility for state funding through educational districts or government agencies. State universities must also notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement about the status of any removed students holding visas.
“So this will help the state of Florida protect you. It’ll help us protect your tax dollars,” DeSantis stated during a Tampa press conference. “It’ll help us protect things that should not be happening in the United States of America, but certainly shouldn’t be happening in the free state of Florida.”
In December, DeSantis classified the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim Brotherhoods as international terrorist organizations. A federal court judge issued a temporary injunction last month preventing enforcement of DeSantis’ executive directive.
PEN America, an organization advocating for free expression, criticized the new legislation for containing ambiguous wording that might limit educational initiatives considered to be “promoting” terrorism and could potentially target student demonstrators who oppose Florida leadership.
“The implications are fraught,” stated William Johnson, PEN America’s Florida director. The new law “could chill education at every level.”
