Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a declaration on Tuesday designating the Muslim Brotherhood and Council on American-Islamic Relations as foreign terrorist groups and transnational criminal organizations — a move that some lawmakers are pushing on the federal level.

The proclamation would ban both groups from buying or acquiring land in the state and allow the state’s attorney general to sue to shut down the two groups, and potentially impose fines on those involved.

Abbott’s proclamation notes the Muslim Brotherhood’s support to groups, including Hamas, that conduct terrorism in various countries, some of which have already been designated as terrorist groups, and that a series of countries have already imposed restrictions on their local Muslim Brotherhood branches.

The proclamation describes CAIR as a “successor organization” to the Muslim Brotherhood and an effective front group for Hamas in the United States and accuses the group of seeking to spread Sharia law in the country by infiltrating public office and other areas of public life.

It also notes that CAIR was an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation Hamas financing case, and that a series of senior CAIR members have been involved in promoting or financing terrorism.

Responding in a statement on X, CAIR accused Abbott of doing the bidding of Israel and AIPAC donors and described the proclamation as defamatory.

“Unlike Mr. Abbott — who unleashed violence against Texas students protesting the Gaza genocide to satisfy his AIPAC donors — our civil rights organization is an independent voice that answers to the American people, relies on support from the American people, and opposes all forms of unjust violence, including hate crimes, ethnic cleansing, genocide and terrorism,” the group wrote.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), a candidate for Texas attorney general, praised the announcement, saying he would enforce it if elected, and that CAIR should also be proscribed at the federal level.

“We must fully enforce and duplicate terror designation efforts at the federal level including strict immigration policy, stripping CAIR’s [501]c3 [tax-exempt] status, vet and remove Sharia,” Roy said.

Efforts to designate the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR have seen little public progress at the federal level, both in Congress and in the executive branch.

Texas has become a particular locus of anti-Sharia law activity over concerns about a project to develop a new Muslim-focused community, known as EPIC City. The Department of Justice investigated the project for religious discrimination, but the DOJ ended its probe finding no wrongdoing. Texas has passed several laws designed to impede the project.