The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says it plans to take Gov. Ron DeSantis to court after the Republican governor issued an executive order labeling the Muslim civil rights organization a “foreign terrorist organization.”

Hiba Rahim, the chapter’s deputy executive director, said during a news conference that the order was an attack rooted in conspiracy theories and compared it to historical efforts that targeted Jewish, Irish and Italian American communities.

“We are very proud to defend the founding principles of our Constitution, to defend free speech,” Rahim said at a news conference. “We are proud to defend democracy, and we are proud to be America first.”

Rahim argued that the governor’s support for Israel played a role in the order, saying the group’s activism had caused “discomfort” to the U.S. ally. She said CAIR does not intend to back down.

FLORIDA DESIGNATES MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD AND CAIR AS FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS, DESANTIS SAYS

Governor DeSantis, meanwhile, defended the move, saying his administration had sufficient grounds for the designation. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, he said he welcomed CAIR’s legal challenge and described the designation as “a long time coming.”

DeSantis’ order also lists the Muslim Brotherhood as a “foreign terrorist” organization. Last month, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to begin a federal process to consider designating certain chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization.

The governor said he expects Florida lawmakers to pursue related legislation when the legislature reconvenes in January, calling the executive order “the beginning.”

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Under DeSantis’ directive, state agencies are barred from awarding contracts, employment or funds to CAIR, the Muslim Brotherhood or any groups deemed to have materially supported them.

At the Tampa news conference, attorney Miranda Margolis criticized the order and argued DeSantis had exceeded his authority by unilaterally designating a nonprofit as a terrorist organization. 

“This designation is without legal or factual basis and constitutes a dangerous escalation of anti-Muslim political rhetoric,” Margolis said.

Florida’s action comes after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a similar proclamation. CAIR has challenged Abbott’s designation in federal court, arguing it violates the U.S. Constitution and Texas law. Muslim and interfaith organizations have urged Abbott to rescind the order.

State-level designations do not carry the same legal weight as federal Foreign Terrorist Organization classifications, which can only be issued by the U.S. State Department.

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CAIR argues the Florida order violates its First Amendment rights and due-process protections and that terrorism designations fall under federal jurisdiction, not state power.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A felon wanted in California and with over two dozen prior arrests has been repeatedly granted bond throughout Texas, raising questions about repeat offenders being released back onto the streets around the country. 

In 2022, authorities charged Carlos Rusi and three other Houston men with a bank jugging case in Burbank, California, according to FOX 26.

Rusi, who was suspected of committing other similar thefts throughout the area, allegedly skipped bond in July 2023 – subsequently forcing authorities to name him as a wanted fugitive. 

Prior to Rusi’s 2022 alleged California jugging spree, he reportedly spent three years in a Texas prison for engaging in organized criminal activity in what was not his first time behind bars. 

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His lengthy criminal record includes more than 30 arrests spanning several years and showcases 26 mugshots dating back to 2006, according to KPRC 2.

Additionally, records show he received separate prison sentences in 2018, 2015, 2011, 2008, 2006 and 2005 for various convictions on felony cases stemming from charges of robbery, organized criminal activity and drug-related crimes, the outlet reported.

Last year, Rusi was sentenced to five years of probation after accepting a plea agreement over charges of robbery and evading arrest. 

In July, while on probation in Harris County, Rusi allegedly followed a 71-year-old man from his bank to a local coin dealer, where police say he shoved the man to the ground and robbed him.

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Security camera footage led investigators to Rusi’s gray Volvo, which was registered to a car rental company, KPRC 2 reported. 

The vehicle’s rental agreement was reportedly registered to Rusi’s mother and returned after the alleged robbery took place – with investigators subsequently finding previous reports in which Rusi’s mother rented vehicles for her son, who would then use them to commit crimes. 

One day later, police said Rusi followed another individual from a Bank of America in Fort Bend County and robbed them at gunpoint, according to KPRC 2.

Later in July, as officers were performing surveillance of the suspect’s vehicle, he allegedly returned to the same bank and followed several victims for 28 miles, KPRC 2 reported. When the individuals stopped at a gas station, Rusi allegedly broke into their vehicle and snatched the woman’s purse – which contained $5,200 cash. 

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Officers reportedly arrested him shortly after and recovered the purse. 

Rusi was charged with theft in Harris County following the incident, but was released on a $75,000 bond on July 21 while still on probation, according to KPRC 2.

In August, Pearland Police allege Rusi broke into a car in a Walmart parking lot and stole $100 cash after following the victim from a nearby ATM, the outlet reported.

In September 2025, Rusi was reportedly arrested in Montgomery County for a similar jugging case, but was released from jail on a $25,000 bond. He was taken into custody again in October after allegedly testing positive for drugs while out on bond in Montgomery County, but was re-released on Nov. 4. 

The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office declined Fox News Digital’s request for comment, citing Rusi’s pending case.

BLUE STATE OFFICIAL RELEASES MAN WITH NO BAIL WHO RETURNS ONE HOUR LATER TO ASSAULT SAME WOMAN: POLICE

During the same month, while on probation, Rusi was convicted of misdemeanors for falsifying a drug test and displaying a fake handicap placard, KPRC 2 reported. 

In November, he was reportedly handed a second bond in Harris County stemming from the alleged July robbery. The next day, he was also granted bond in Brazoria County. 

Currently, Rusi remains out on bond, despite the various charges spanning multiple counties throughout Texas and the active warrant for his arrest in California, according to FOX 26. 

“What jumps out is that this isn’t one bad call, it’s a chain of release decisions across jurisdictions,” Bobby Taghavi, Managing Partner of law firm Sweet James, which has offices in Texas, told Fox News Digital. 

“When someone described by police as a repeat offender with a long history is still receiving probation and multiple bonds, and is also reported as a wanted fugitive out of California since 2023, that raises a serious red-flag question – was the full-risk picture consistently in front of every court and judge at the time those decisions were made?” 

Court records indicate that various officials throughout the Texas counties were unaware Rusi was a wanted man, despite details of his alleged California crime spree appearing on Internet searches, FOX 26 reported.

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However, according to Taghavi, the blame falls on government officials involved in every step of the criminal process. 

“This kind of failure usually happens when critical information isn’t surfaced, confirmed and emphasized in real-time, especially out-of-state warrant status at the moment bond or probation decisions are being made,” Taghavi said. 

“Responsibility is typically shared across the system. Prosecutors need to present the complete record and argue risk, judges must evaluate it, probation departments must accurately report supervision status, and law enforcement must ensure warrants and holds are properly entered and actionable.”

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The pattern of Rusi’s habitual criminal behavior being met with only a slap on the wrist has also raised concern for community leaders in Texas. 

“I’ve never in my life seen anything as absurd as this,” Andy Kahan with Houston Crime Stoppers told FOX 26. “Shame on our criminal justice system for continuing to allow this defendant to roam our community and to steal our property and to hurt people.”

The Harris County District Attorney’s Office, Rusi’s attorney and Texas Department of Public Safety did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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While Rusi remains on the streets pending trial, Taghavi suggests the saga could signify an overarching problem plaguing local and state authorities regarding repeat offenders being released into communities as officials remain in the dark. 

“If it’s one missed check, that can be an isolated oversight,” Taghavi told Fox News Digital. “But when the same person is reportedly able to obtain probation and bonds across multiple jurisdictions, it starts to look more like a systemic breakdown in coordination and verification – not just one-off human error.” 

Fox News Digital’s Olivia Palombo contributed to this report. 

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, pointed to Mamdani-Trump voters, AOC-Trump voters and Obama-Trump voters when confronted Tuesday on her difficult path to victory in the Texas Senate race.

MS NOW host Chris Hayes asked Crockett about people who question her ability to win the “8 to 10% of Republican voters necessary to win this race,” who cited the voters who supported both President Donald Trump and Democrats like Zohran Mamdani, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former President Barack Obama.

Crocket, who launched her Texas Senate bid on Monday, disagreed with the notion that she needs to win over a percentage of Republican voters and said she hoped to energize her base in a way Democratic candidates have failed to do in the past.

Hayes pointed to Georgia’s Senate races and said Democratic Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff were the closest model after their hard-fought wins in the 2020 and 2022 cycles. He said, “They definitely got high levels of turnout, but they also did win crossover voters.”

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The lawmaker agreed that Texas was a difficult place to win, but said some Trump voters were unsatisfied and pointed to the recent congressional election in Tennessee, which was a closer race than it had been in the past.

“I don’t think anyone who is super in love with Trump would ever vote for me or any other Democrat. That is just the reality. I think what it is, is who is going to talk to people and make them understand that they will fight for them. That is why you have Mamdani-Trump voters. That is why you have AOC-Trump voters. That is why you had Obama-Trump voters,” she told Hayes.

“Let me tell you something, Mamdani has not backed down whatsoever from his rhetoric against the president in the Oval Office. He stood there and he said what he said about him being a fascist. Yet he was able to win those voters. So, Democrats that believe the only way that you can win is by being soft and sounding like a Republican, that is not true,” Crockett said.

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She argued voters were looking for someone to fight for them and that’s what she plans to do.

Crockett similarly said she didn’t need to win over Trump’s supporters on Tuesday during an interview on CNN and said that it wasn’t her “goal.”

CNN host Laura Coates asked Crockett if she needed to garner support from Trump voters.

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“Our goal is to definitely talk to people. No, we don’t, we don’t need to. Our goal is to make sure that we can engage people that historically have not been talked to, because there’s so many people that get ignored, specifically in the state of Texas,” she said.

Crockett is trying to become the first Democrat since 1988 to win a U.S. Senate race in Texas.