DeSantis signs Florida law to label groups as terrorists and expel student supporters
The measure lets state officials designate groups as terrorists, dissolve them and cut off funding while barring schools from supporting them.
- On Monday, April 6, 2026, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 1471 at the USF Gibbons Alumni Center in Tampa, empowering state officials to designate domestic and foreign terrorist organizations.
- DeSantis stated the law protects "public safety, our culture, and our security" from foreign influence, building on his December executive order identifying specific Islamic organizations as terrorist groups.
- The measure bars schools affiliated with designated organizations from receiving state K-12 scholarship funds, and universities must expel students who "promote" support for such groups.
- PEN America and CAIR-Florida Executive Director Hiba Rahim condemned the law, arguing it jeopardizes student speech, freedom of religion, and due process for organizations that dissent.
- The law takes effect July 1, though DeSantis predicted the state will win on appeal despite anticipated legal challenges to the controversial measure.
85 Articles
85 Articles
What does Florida’s terrorism bill change? #politics
Florida’s terrorism designation law and its implications Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that expands the state’s counterterrorism toolkit. The measure would give state officials authority to designate groups as “terrorist organizations” and would also restrict state court ...
Florida Law Allows Student Groups To Be Labeled Terrorists
Source: Sun Sentinel / Getty The “free speech party” is once again proving that they only believe free speech applies to people who agree with them. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law on Monday that gives him and other Florida leaders the ability to designate student groups as terrorists and expel any students who support them. According to AP, the law gives top officials of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement the ability to label a s…
Advocates fear Florida’s domestic terrorist law could reach beyond Muslim groups
CAIR-FL executive director Hiba Rahim (center) speaking during a press conference at CAIR's Tampa headquarters on April 7, 2026. (Photo by Dave Decker for the Florida Phoenix)TAMPA — One day after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation (HB 1471) granting a handful of public officials power to designate a domestic terrorist organization, members of a likely target of the law warned it could reach beyond Muslim organizations. The Florida cha…
DeSantis' new law gives Florida officials terrifying power over students, and experts are screaming about one glaring loophole
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis just signed a new measure into law that gives him and other state leaders some pretty intense power. As reported by Associated Press, this new legislation lets officials label groups as either domestic or foreign terrorist organizations and, crucially, allows for the expulsion of state university students who support them. It’s a move that’s already sparking a lot of debate, and free speech advocates are seriously w…
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