Overview
- President Trump said the Muslim Brotherhood will be designated as a foreign terrorist organization, describing the move as coming "in the strongest and most powerful terms" with "final documents" being prepared.
- Texas last week labeled the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR at the state level, banning land purchases and authorizing the attorney general to sue, but those steps do not impose federal immigration, asset-freeze or criminal penalties.
- Under U.S. law, only the Secretary of State can issue a federal designation of a foreign terrorist organization, which triggers financing cutoffs and material-support liabilities.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in August that designations for parts of the Brotherhood were in the works, noting that different branches may need to be addressed individually.
- Several countries already restrict or ban the Brotherhood, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain, and France and Jordan have taken recent actions to limit its influence.